Second Chances Do Make a Difference
by hatersgonnahate104
Summary: *SEQUEL TO THE RED GAMES* Percy and Annabeth are in South California, going to different colleges. Both are trying to forget the other and what happened in high school. But when they befriend two people, who happen to be twins, and end up meeting again, what will they do? Will they work things out and get back together? Or will any relationship be out of the question? Percabeth; AU
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! Welcome to the first "chapter" (more like a prologue) of Second Chances Do Make A Differece!**

**It's the sequel to my other story 'The Red Games', so you better read that first or you'll have no idea WTF is happening. So, yeah, if you already have read 'The Red Games' continued reading, and I'll see at the end if the chapter!**

* * *

**Prologue**

I never thought that I would ever have to see Perseus Jackson ever again since we graduated high school. Well, sure, we'd see each other again at high school reunions or whatever, but that would be at the 10 YEAR reunion. It's been at least two months since I last saw him. I had only caught a glimpse of him when I visited Rachel in the hospital after she gave birth to Jacob, her and Luke's child. Percy and I had bumped into each other in the hospital cafeteria. We had exchanged really awkward 'hello's and hurried away from each other like the plague.

I had felt awful (and I still do) about what I did to Percy on the night of the Winter Formal. I had broken up with him, telling him that I didn't love him or liked him, right after he told me that he loved me.

I had hated myself for months. And every time I saw him with his new girlfriend, Krisha, it made me feel a little nauseous. I always felt a pang in my heart every time I saw the two of them together.

One of the reasons why I moved to Southern California to go to Uni was to get away from Percy, so I could get a new life, forget everything that happened in New York.

And yet, here he is, right now, standing in front of me.

Perseus Jackson with his bright sea-green eyes and messy black hair. Perseus Jackson with his goofy grin, the one grin that I always loved.

Is this fate telling me to mend things up with him?

**Percy's POV**

Why is she here? Why is Annabeth Chase, the one girl who managed to crush my heart into fragments, standing in front of me?

She hadn't changed a bit.

Her blonde hair was still in its wonderful princess curls. Her face was still wonderfully tanned. Her intelligent grey eyes were still sparkling with knowledge.

I missed her.

Even though things were still damaged between us, I still missed her.

"Percy?" she whispered.

Derek and his sister gave each other confused looks.

"Annabeth?" I answered, probably sounded bewildered, since I couldn't believe that she was here in front of me. She took two strides and hugged me. I froze for a second, remembering the last time she was this close. The day of the dreaded Winter Formal. After a few seconds, I tentatively hugged her back.

"I missed you," I heard her whisper in my chest. I did not expect to hear that come from her mouth. Well, then again, I didn't expect her to hug me either. I buried my face in her hair, savouring the smell. It smelled like the lemon scented shampoo she always used. Another thing that hasn't changed about Annabeth.

"Um...do you guys know each other?" Derek's sister, Lené, asked. It was like Annabeth and I were shocked back into reality. Annabeth pulled away from me and took a few steps back. Things became really awkward. We shared an awkward look. We both knew that we had to tell the story of our non-existent relationship (well, non-existent to her, anyways).

At least dinner will be entertaining.

* * *

**A/N**

**Here's the prologue of my new story, the "long-awaited" sequel (even though all of you only had to wait like...two days...) Anyways so the winner of the title making contest is: Percy jackson12 !**

**Congratulations Percy jackson12!**

**And to all of you guys who submitted titles, I seriously loved reading them and it was a rather hard decision choosing one, and I would like all of you to know that I will be keeping those titles for possible chapter titles (don't worry, I'll give you credit)**

**Alright, so please review/follow/favourite, it would really help me out a lot, especially since this is a new story:)**

**See ya guys in the next chapter, which will be uploaded soon!**


	2. Dinner

**Chapter 1: Dinner**

Percy and I exchanged a look as all four of us sat at a table. Lené and Derek have been exchanging confused looks and looking between Percy and I.

"So...what's your story, exactly?" Derek asked. Lené elbowed him in the stomach.

"Derek," she hissed. Percy laughed a little.

"It's fine," he told her. I saw a small blush erupt on Lené's face. I felt my stomach churning with a type of emotion I had never felt before. It made me want to jump up from my chair and strangle Lené, which I would never do.

_Where did that come from?_

"Anyways," I said, clearing my throat. Everyone looked at me. "Our story? Percy, do you want me to start?" He nodded absently at me and looked somewhere else. He looked at Lené. But Lené was too busy looking at me, listening eagerly for my story.

"So, the relationship between Percy and I was never an easy one..."

We were eating cheesecake, our dessert, and I had just finished the (tragic) story of Percy and I's (not really) relationship.

"Wow," Lené whispered as I finished. "That's...so sad..." I nodded. I had indeed left out the part where I found out I was in love with Percy. I just ended at where I walked out of the gymnasium with Thalia, after I had given away the Ice Queen title to Rachel. Percy looked like he was remembering something. No one but me noticed. The waiter came by and plunked the bill on the table.

"$33.50," I said. "If we split the bill, and add a 15% tip, we have to each pay..." I did the math mentally. "$9.63."

"Still a math genius," I heard Percy mutter. Well, the four of us only shared two salads (which were ginormous), had four drinks, and we had cheesecake. No wonder it came out to be $33.50...

"Hey, Annabeth, we have to go," Lené said. I looked at the time. Ten-thirty. Crap. We had a quiz to study for tomorrow.

"Damn it. Yeah, we do," I replied. I put $9.63 on the table. "I'll go hail a taxi." I walked out, phone in hand.

If only I had known what was going on in there...

* * *

**Percy's POV**

As soon as Annabeth left, I felt myself yearning for her presence once more. I don't even know why, but I did. I sighed and looked over at Derek's sister. She was really pretty, with her brown hair and gentle green eyes.

"So, can you tell me more about Rachel?" she asked me. "What happened to her and the baby? And the baby's father?" I smiled at the thought of Rachel, Luke, and little Jacob.

"Rachel's pregnancy was a weird one," I told her. "You see, Rachel always had this weird psychic intuition with some things, one being the gender of her baby. She thought it was going to be a guy, but doctors told her it was going to be a girl. She got all male baby clothes and painted the nursery blue anyways.

"When it was time for her to give birth, it turned out she was right. It was a boy, and the doctors were mistaken. Which is really weird..."

I looked right into Lené's eyes and found that I couldn't look out of them.

"Hey guys," Derek said, breaking out stare. "Percy, I'm gonna go get the car, can you wait here for a sec?" I nodded. He left the restarant. Things were a little awkward between us. I took a peek at Lené and saw that she had a pretty pink blush over her face.

"Hey Lené, will you...go out with me?" I asked her suddenly. She turned and looked at me with a shocked face. Then, she slowly started to nod. I smiled at her, and she smiled brilliantly back. We exchanged numbers, and I promised to take her out tomorrow evening.

"Hey Lené, taxi's here!" I heard Annabeth call. Lené looked towards the door. She seemed hesitant to go.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow Percy!" she said, waving. I waved back and she scurried out the door. I sighed and remembered Annabeth's voice, even though half the time what she was saying was never addressed to me.

Why couldn't I let go of my feelings for Annabeth?

I sighed in frustration at myself.

_It's because you're too much in love with her._

I was going to get rid of my feelings for Annabeth, make sure that she and I only stay as friends. And I knew someone how was going to help me.

Lené Parmel.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

I sat impatiently in the cab, waiting for Lené to hurry her butt up. Finally I saw her run out of the restaurant and jump into the cab.

"Finally!" I huffed. I was seriously getting annoyed. First test of the semester and yet she holds me back from studying...

"Sorry," she apologized. "I was caught up in talking with Percy."

"When has Percy said anything interesting?" I snapped. She gave me a weird look. It was along the terms of 'sympathetic' and 'anger'.

"He seems like a pretty sweet guy," she told me. I scoffed. Sure, Percy could be sweet. Except now, when he can hardly stand to look at me...

My anger and annoyance faded when I thought about the reason why Percy could hardly look at me, much less talk to me.

Sadness overwhelmed my body and I sighed.

Lené gave me a confused look.

"What's wrong?" she asked me.

"I didn't tell the entire story back at dinner," I told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"You want to tell me now?" she asked me. I nodded hesitantly. She wouldn't judge me, right? I took a deep breath and continued telling the story from where I left off.

"After Thalia had taken me home, I was practically a zombie. I was like Bella in 'New Moon', but about ten times worse. I just delved into my studying, hardly talking to anyone. It was during the last month of school when I returned to my normal self again."

"Why then?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I guess it was because I was chosen as valedictorian," I guessed. "All that hard work payed off." She gave me a sympathetic smile.

"And what's going on between you and Percy now?" she questioned. I shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know. I mean, he sort of hates me now, and I..." I left the sentence hanging.

"And I..." Lené pushed. I rolled my eyes, collected my wits and continued.

"And I am still in love with him."

The questioning look on her face turned into one of shock.

"Oh no," she muttered. Now I was lost.

"What?" I asked.

"Why did I do that?" she groaned to herself.

"What did you do?" I demanded. I was more confused than ever. And I hated that.

"I accepted a date with Percy."

* * *

**A/N**

**Dun, Dun, DUN! Haha. Thanks for all the reviews and stuff guys, it really means a lot, especially since it's like a...700 word prologue. But hey! At least it's something right? I'm planning on writing longer chapters for this story unlike The Red Games. So yeah. Unfortunately, you may have to read more of this story since I have strep throat and shouldn't go to school. So yeah, see ya in the next chapter!**

**Thanks to: Frosty117, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, Messiml, PPP4eva, blueskiesandgreengrass13, Melody, I am Alice Cullen, KabraPotterJackson, SilverLiningsGirl, MashPotatoeSquishBanana, CryingatNight, ElmoDaHorse, JamieAnimeLover, PJOOF16, GregorTheLonelyRock, Lilith Jae, Rose-loves-Dimitri, Irfhanaz, WithMyDarkSide, megameghamango, veryfunny, August1999, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, KibaIno All The Way, lovinbooks10, Captainforkz, BlueBeltNinja, pjofanforever, Hi, Guest(s), Creamoe, SuzieDaughterOfHermes, lara, mlmary57, mythologyfreak88, SonOfErebus, SMILEit'sjaelyn, kinaboolovesanime, Natsirt2610, Jade-Queen of Fantasy, Muffin Russell, Kim3375, MESamPepJZ, aslongaswe'retogether, True marauder by heart, Burningrose194, silvershadowrebel, Asturias4, L1berty0rD34 th, Imagine Dragon16, Lord Of Sky, iloveebooks1234, Naguse, 120420yyl, AwkwardGems, Poseidon's Favourite Daughter, Child of Athens, WisdomGoddessAthenae, sd1957, laoibhseferry, SassCass, trio-of-friends, figuresk8ergirl13, Ontril186, Leafpelt159907, cherrypie98, Hoahphgfan, AtlantaJackson95, Rachel Di Angelo, jce99, annabeth the wise girl, DevMan, Harrypotter12345, Happygil207, kgirlma, Titpoil, iampercyjackson'swife, Artemis-gurl, lovetoread1410, Percabethinthestars, mustachmonkey05, brharrypotter7, Apeni, AthenaOwl10, Pliantly Virtuous, dreamchaser31lucky, GracieLou12, stagamaniac, cantbetamed5656, MyselfxYourself, Meghan Thalia Jackson, bookhugs, Feline Pawprint, Just-a-clato-girl, ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm, blackjack1709, bubblelover302, Bobz1212, potterblacklupin-4ever, pjofanforever, percy lover123456789, smilingforeverandever, chaos007, Poseidonsfavdaughter, MusicIsMyLife14, SilvermoonLove, BeautifulMystery23, NeonHedgehog, WritingCats, KittyKatChocoCat, im a tree bark, PercabethAndAntiThalico, SailorMoonAddict, mlmary57, Shandia99, xX9SoftballChick9Xx, Bookluver132, yolcholl, Thiswasmade4me, xbloomxx, XxbethamphetaminexX, simplyhamideh, emblah01, si-fi-lover22, xxPurpleStarsxx, Chaynal, Dusk-R, hsw99, Midnight Sparrow-Wings, DaughterofHade2pt0 for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**It's nice to see all the familiar names and the new names! **

**Please read: Phase 1, which is also the companion fic to The Red Games, which you should have read before you read this.**

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would really help me out a lot!**


	3. Awkward

**Chapter 2: Awkward...**

**Annabeth's POV**

"You did WHAT?" I almost shrieked. Lené looked upset.

"I'm so sorry Annabeth!" she apologized. "But in my defense, I didn't know!" I sighed. She was right. It wasn't her fault. I leaned into my seat.

"You're right," I admitted. She gave me a sympathetic look and took out her phone.

"Listen, Annabeth, if you want, I can cancel the date," she offered. I shook my head. I had already lost my chance with Percy, why should I ruin Lené's?

"It's fine," I told her. "Go. I doesn't matter." She took my hand.

"We are going to find you a man, Annabeth. A man that will love you and be a thousand times more better than Percy," she promised. I smiled at her, but it was forced.

"I don't think any man can handle this," I said, motioning to myself. She laughed.

"Whatever. If Percy can do it any guy can," she said. I knew that she was wrong, and that it wouldn't help arguing with her. Percy was one of a kind. I knew that she would find that out on the first date.

"I guess," I said, _shruggin__g._

_Not..._

* * *

**Percy's POV**

It was the next day, and I was heading over to Lené's (and Annabeth's) campus, since Lené told me that she wanted to just have coffee at Starbucks so we could get to know each other. I texted Lené to tell her I was there and she walked out of some building or another. As my eyes focused from the super bright sun, I realized that Annabeth had walked out to meet me instead of Lené.

"Um, hey!" she greeted, walking towards me. I couldn't say anything. My mouth was dry, not only from the heat, but from the sight of her. In New York, it had been WAY too cold to wear tank tops and shorts or whatever, but here was a different story.

Annabeth was wearing a light blue tank top and jean shorts. Her blonde hair made her look like she was glowing. I realized that it had been about two minutes since she greeted me and I hadn't said anything back.

"An..a..le...um...hi," I managed to say. Jeez, great job Perce. She thinks that you're a bigger idiot than before.

Annabeth lightly chuckled.

"Nice to know that college hasn't changed you, Seaweed Brain," she laughed. I smiled softly at the nickname.

"'Seaweed Brain'...it's been a while since I heard that."

Her smile and laughs faded and an awkward silence filled the air.

_Wrong thing to say, Percy. Wrong thing to say._

Annabeth cleared her throat.

"Um...Lené wanted me to take you to our dorm after distracting you for a while. She's still getting ready," she informed me, smiling at her friend's antics. I smiled too.

"Okay," I said. She grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the dorm. I didn't notice the blush on her cheeks since I was thinking about her warm fingers around my wrist. She dragged me to a building labelled 'C'.

I chuckled to myself. Derek and I stayed in dorm building 'C' too. Then she stopped us in front of room number 201.

Okay, so at this point I was laughing at loud.

I was too bust LMFAO-ing to notice that people were staring at me and giving me weird looks. Annabeth rolled her eyes and quickly got out her keys. She opened the door and pushed me into the room first, before entering also and closing the door behind her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded. I just kept chuckling for a little while. "Why were you laughing in the middle of the hallway, for absolutely no reason, like the freaking idiot you are?"

I suppressed a smile. Annabeth really hasn't changed, has she?

"The funny thing is," I started explaining. "that your room number is 201 and your dorm building letter is 'C'. Also the fact that Lené is your roommate." She raised an eyebrow.

"And...?"

"And...my dorm letter is C and my room number is 201. Also Derek is my roommate," I concluded. Those facts processed into her mind, and I could literally see the gears turning in her head. About a second later, she cracked a small smile. I could tell that she was suppressing a laugh.

"Laugh, Annabeth," I told her. She shot me a shocked look, her eyes reading 'how the hell did he know that?'.

"I was with you for approximately five months, both romantically and friendly, I think I would know you by now," I said. She blushed a little and sat down at her desk, opening her laptop. I heard footsteps and I looked at where it came from. It was Lené. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail and she was wearing a summer dress.

"Hey you guys," she greeted us.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey," Annabeth replied to her, typing on her computer frantically.

"So, what have you guys been talking about?" Lené asked, looking between Annabeth and I. I opened my mouth to reply but Annabeth beat me to the punch.

"We were just talking about the old days."

I shot her a look. Why would she lie about that? Sure, she was partly telling the truth, but it was mostly a lie. We hadn't really talked a lot.

"Okay then," Lené replied to Annabeth's statement, sending me a confused look. "Well, shall we go?" I nodded.

"We'll be back soon, Annabeth," Lené told her. Annabeth didn't take her eyes off the screen.

"Take your time."

"Do you want anything from Starbucks?" I found myself asking. That made Annabeth look away from the screen. Both girls in the rooms gave me confused looks. I found myself blushing a little from their stares.

"Um...no thanks," Annabeth replied, shock and confusion in her voice. "Thanks anyways...Percy." I nodded at her and cleared my throat.

"Shall we go then?" I asked Lené. Apparently, I had broken a train of thought.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure," she replied, a bit dazed. "I'll be back soon."

She opened the door and walked out. I followed her.

Well there was only one word to describe that time in Annabeth's dorm room.

Awkward.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

I sighed in relief as the door closed behind Percy. I mean, just seeing him at the Cheesecake Factory was awkward enough, but actually having to _talk _to him?

Even more awkward.

I remembered when we were still friends, Percy and I. Things had never been awkward, even though we just became friends in approximately one afternoon.

I needed to get my mind off this, so I took out the homework assignment from one of my classes. Right now, I didn't care what class it was, I just needed to get my mind off of Percy, Lené, the Red Games, and basically everything that happened last year.

I remembered the assignment I had to do. I had to design my own historical monuement by tomorrow. I got out a pencil and a sheet of paper. I sketched out something, a statue. I remembered that Lené mentioned that she and Percy were going to the Starbucks on campus.

That was one of the first dates Percy took me on...

_I was walking home from the library when someone grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. I was about to scream 'RAPE' when I realized it was just Percy._

"_Hey," he greeted with his trademark grin. I tried hard to frown at him, but that smile just made you want to smile back. So I did. _

"_Hello," I said. "What made you want to scare me to death in the middle of New York?" He just grinned wider._

"_We haven't been spending a lot of time with each other," he complained. "Since you're always studying at the library, and I always have to go to swim meets. So I decided to surprise you and take you on a date." I smiled at his thoughtfulness._

"_So...you don't have swim practice today?" I asked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. He shook his head and started leading me to a Starbucks on the other side of the street._

_We had spent hours there and Percy offered to drive me home at six o'clock. I accepted his offer and he drove me home. Before I left him, I kissed him on the lips and hurried into my house._

_The taste of hot chocolate (I had a latte) lingered on my lips._

I looked back at the finished drawing of a statue. It depicted a girl with curly hair and a boy with messy hair. They looked happy, even though they were dressed in thick winter clothes. The two of them were holding Starbucks coffee cups.

I was about to throw the drawing away, but then thought against it at the last minute. I opened one of the drawers of my desk and stuck the picture in there, for it to stay forever.

I took out another piece of paper and started working on another statue, clearing my mind of everything.

But before I delved into my work, one last thought came into my head.

_How is Percy and Lené's date going?_

* * *

**Percy's POV**

Lené was a nice person, but halfway through the date I found that she was not my type. Not that Lené wasn't smart or anything, she was just...too much like Derek, which I find super weird. I mean, she is literally the more girly version of Derek.

It's just weird even thinking of dating one of my friend's sister.

It seemed like Lené was thinking the same way too.

"Listen Percy," she said, about fifteen minutes throughout the date. "You're a really cool and all, but...oh my God, how do I say this... I just realized that...you're not my type." I almost jumped onto the table to do a happy dance.

"Me too," I said, relaxing into my chair. She smiled as she relaxed also.

"I can tell that you still love Annabeth," Lené said, out of the blue. I looked up to her sharply.

"What?"

She shrugged.

"I guess you could say that I have a 'love sense'," she said, shrugging. "I can just tell. Every time you look at Annabeth, you get this...look...in your eye."

Look? Holy crap, I wish that Annabeth won't notice...

_She probably won't._

I ignored my subconscious and listened to what Lené was saying.

"You know, I won't betray Annabeth's trust, but I will tell you something about Annabeth's feelings for you," Lené said. "She wants to be friends with you, but she is guilty about what she did to you last year, and she's afraid that you won't accept her again, as friend or girlfriend."

"I don't know, Lené," I sighed. "I mean, Annabeth said that she didn't care for me whatsoever when she broke up with me." She gave me a secretive smile.

"Trust me, she's lying."

With that, she stood up.

"I'll text you later, Percy," she said and left the shop.

I just sat there for a while, thinking about what she just told me.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

I was trying to draw more buildings when Lené walked into our dorm room.

"Hey, how did the date go?" I asked her, looking up from my current drawing. She smiled cheerfully at me.

"Oh, it went good! But, Percy and I have a mutual understanding," she told me, sitting on her bed. I turned in my chair to look at her, and raised and eyebrow.

"And that is...?" I questioned.

"That Percy and I are incompatible as a couple," she replied, as if it was like saying 'the Earth goes around the Sun'. I stared at her, shocked. Lené seemed absolutely **smitten **with Percy at the restaurant...

"Oh and by the way, Annabeth," she said, one foot in our shared bathroom. "Percy's waiting for you at Starbucks. Go now, or he'll leave." She gave me one last huge smile before closing the door.

I sat there, contemplating what Lené just told me.

_Go, Annabeth._

I stood up and literally ran out of the room, towards Starbucks.

_I hope Percy's still there..._

* * *

**A/N**

**Longest chapter and we're only on chapter deux! I've been writing this son of a Kardashian for an hour, and I've been watching all the latest pewdiepie and smosh vids as I've been writing so it took twice as long as it would have. :( **

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Thanks to: ****Goddess of fear, Daughter of Sorrow, Jlfrancis24, hb15, highlycoolperson1, confusion-123, TeamValdezForever, Merry Harkness, ElizabethLilyBass, patchisminebitches, wildcat2lish, The Cookie Monsta, TheGirlInTheBack, USA, AnnabethsDagger, Athena's gray owl, Marichinocherry OtakusRule, whatdoesntkillumakesustronge r, FyrePhoenix16, MusicIsMyLife14, August1999, lovinbooks10, blueskiesandgreengrass13, PJOOF16, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, I am Alice Cullen, lara, Jade-Queen of Fantasy, hsw99, KabraPotterJackson, Guest(s), authourofmanythings for reviewing/favouriting/following! You guys rule!**

**authourofmanythings: HAHA! So sorry about spelling your name wrong. I spell authour like author. Just the way I was taught to I guess (shrugs)**

**Please read the companion fic to the story before this one (The Red Games) : Phase 1**

**Please review/follow/favourite! It would really help me out a lot!**

**See ya next chapter :)**


	4. Friends Again?

**Chapter 3: Friends Again?**

**Percy's POV**

I had been sitting in the same spot where Lené left me for five minutes, pondering about what she said. I knew what Annabeth would've said if she were here.

"_Wow, you're actually thinking for once? Well don't think too hard, Seaweed Brain, or you'll get a brain hemorrhage."_

I smiled lightly to myself.

Even when she's insulting me, Annabeth had her own sense of humor.

Annabeth...

What had Lené meant? That Annabeth wanted to be friends again, or that she wanted to get back together again?

I know I shouldn't be, but I'm down with either option. If Annabeth was in my life, in any way, I'll be fine. What am I saying? What am I doing here, sitting all alone like an idiot? This wasn't even my campus!

I felt like such an idiot (more than I usually did) and stood up, holding my empty Starbucks cup. I sighed and walked towards the door.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

I ran to the campus Starbucks, which was about two blocks away. Good thing I was in the need for a run.

I begged for Percy to be there. I had been thinking about what happened, especially at night. During the first few months after the breakup, I had been dreaming about life if I had stayed with Percy. If I hadn't been so...proud, if my hubris hadn't gotten in the way, Percy and I would be really happy now.

The way I imagined life was Percy and I becoming Ice King and Queen. Us applying for the same colleges together, maybe staying in New York.

I always woke up before I dreamed farther than that.

Even if Percy wasn't in my life in a...romantic sense, at least he'd be there as a friend.

I just hoped that he was there.

I got to the Starbucks and opened the door. I bumped into someone. A man, it seemed, if I go from the size of his chest and the number of questionable stains on his white shirt. A familiar white shirt...

I looked up and met the sea-green eyes I had been dreaming about for so long.

Percy stared down at me.

"Annabeth?" he asked. I took a step back and cleared my throat, a bit awkward about feeling his (broad) chest. I felt myself blushing as I caught myself thinking about Percy's chest...

"Do you want to take a walk with me?" I asked, completely out of the blue. He looked a bit shocked at my suggestion. He thought about for a second, then shrugged. I found myself taking his hand in mine in habit.

"Let's go."

I led him around the entire campus. We kept walking in silence. I looked over at Percy, wondering why he was so silent. He was looking everywhere else but me. I realized that he was a bit uncomfortable because I was holding his hand. Quickly, I let go, feeling awkward as well. I stuck my hands in my pockets.

I hope that this awkward silence doesn't last forever...

* * *

**Percy's POV**

I couldn't help but sneak a few peeks at Annabeth. There was a blush on her face and her hands were stuffed in her jean pockets. She was also biting her lower lip. I knew she wanted to say something, because that was always the face she made when we were both awkwardly silent.

"So, why did you want to go on a walk?" I asked, breaking the silence. I thought that Annabeth looked relieved, since the silence was broken.

She shrugged.

"A walk always clears my thoughts, and...I wanted to talk to you, Percy," she told me, sneaking a glance at me.

"We do talk," I said, a bit confused as to why we had to take a walk to have a simple conversation. She sighed.

"I guess we do, but nowadays, our 'talks' always end in awkwardness and arguments," she complained. "I don't want that anymore, Percy." I nodded.

"Me too," I admitted. She smiled a little at me. I grinned back. Annabeth sat on a bench that was near us. She patted the seat next to her and I sat down also.

"We need to talk," she said.

"I know," I replied.

"Percy, I want us to be friends again," she said. I nodded. Truth was, I did too. I thought back to when we first became friends. It had happened all too quickly, and the two of us barely knew each other. In fact, Annabeth had hated me one day and basically tolerated me the next. But, for some strange reason, it felt as if I had known her for an eternity.

"And...I wanted to apologize for what I did to you last year," she continued. "I did, and still do, care for you. And, if you want to try out a relationship again...I think we should be friends more first." Wow. Am I hearing what I'm hearing? Annabeth wants to try a relationship with me again?

I smiled brightly at her.

"I agree with you completely," I told her. She smiled back.

"So...friends?" she asked. I nodded.

"Friends."

She hugged me, burying her face in my neck.

I was surprised by the physical contact.

I hadn't held Annabeth this close since...that day. I was hesitant for a bit, then I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her hair. The lemon scent of her shampoo filled my nose.

I held her close and found myself wishing we could stay like this forever.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

Percy and I were sitting at the campus's McDonald's, like typically fat Americans. Well, we were American...except for the typically fat part. We were playing Twenty-one questions, just trying to find out more about each other.

"Okay, question one," I said. "What is your favourite food?" Percy thought long and hard about that one.

"Um...hmm... I guess I will have to say my mom's blue cookies," he answered truthfully. "I don't think anything will compare."

I knew what my next question would be. Thank you Percy for mentioning your obsession with blue food...

"Why do you and your family love blue food?"

This one Percy didn't have to think that long about. I guess that he gets this question a lot.

"Well...it has to do with my step-father, Smelly Gabe. He and my mom had an argument about how food couldn't be blue. Gabe said it couldn't and my mom said it could. So to prove her point, Mom got blue food colouring and started to put it in our food."

I laughed at his tale. It was so cute.

"What happened to Gabe?" I asked, remembering that Sally (Percy's mom) was dating Paul Blowfis, a teacher at Goode. Percy shrugged.

"He and Mom got divorced when I was twelve. Thank God too, he was a jerk," he told me. I frowned.

"How was he a jerk?" I asked. Then I realized that this question might be personal. "I don't mean to pry. You don't have to answer it if you don't want to..." He just shook his head at me.

"It's fine," he told me. "Gabe was beating me and my mom. He didn't go to work, and he stayed home all day. He drank beer and played poker with his friends a lot too. He would always bully me for money." My heart broke when I heard what Percy had to go through. I mean, I know how it feels to lose a parent, but I didn't know how it was to have an awful "replacement parent".

Sure, I complained about Susan a lot, how sickly sweet she was to me, and how she cared too much about me. But...I realized that Percy would've killed for a new father like that. I hoped that that was what he would get with Paul Blowfis.

I took one of Percy's fries and ate it. A buzz came from my pocket. My phone. I took it out and saw a text from Lené.

_Annabeth, where r u? It's 6! We have to study for the test tomorrow! -Lené_

I checked the time, just to be sure. She was right. It was six. Shit.

I jumped from my seat and walked to the door, Percy hot on my heels.

"Where are you going?" he asked me, surprise and worry with a hint of confusion in his voice. I gave him an apologetic smile.

"As much as I would _love_ getting to be friends again some more, Perce, I have a study group for the test tomorrow," I told him. He nodded, seeming a bit sad. His bottom lip jutted out in a hilarious pout. I laughed a bit. His green eyes bore into my grey ones and I found myself frozen there for a bit.

Then, something came over me. A familiar emotion. I leaned in and kissed his cheek, the same way I did a year ago. Except this time, I wasn't going to run away.

"I'll meet you here, tomorrow, at five, okay?" I asked. He nodded absently, his green eyes dazed. I gave him a quick hug and jogged out.

Usually I was super upbeat about study groups, because that means that I can share my knowledge and love of architecture with a bunch of other people who actually cared. But today, I found myself looking forward to tomorrow's "date" with Percy.

I ran to my dorm, quickly grabbed my stuff, and hurried to the meeting spot with Lené. As I sat down in a chair, I found myself thinking that tomorrow couldn't come sooner.

* * *

**A/N**

**In all honesty, I don't know what the HECK I feel about this chapter. Also, sorry that I'm posting this up so late, it's just that today's been a really rough day for me since my sickness was driving me BONKERS. Anyways, I'll see you guys tommo****rrow (or later today) in the new chapter!**

**Thanks to: sashashana, lisawu7880, PercabethJacksonLover101, mysterysolvers1, LovePinkBear, lovingbooks10, Merr, GreenDayLover306, IwIlLhAuNtYoU, authourofmanythings, Isa, Guest(s), ArtemisApollo37, HunterOfArtemis, AnnabethsDagger, bookworm2609, Child of Athens, PPP4eva, biachimini, blueskiesandgreengrass13, Rose Daughter of Euterpe, KabraPotterJackson, Awesome person, PJOOF16, Messiml, MusicIsMyLife14, Jade-Queen of Fantasy, emblah01, I am Alice Cullen, megameghamango, lara, thegreyeyedgirl, Natsirt2610, aslongaswe'retogether123, Poseidon's Favorite Girl, Angelwings178, ImmaNerd98, ohmydemigods, nikitabella, nomduplume4, la bella nunez, Shandia99, percabeth8, Moon knight rulz, cupcakeluver111, Lilith Jae for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**authourofmanythings: Well...I am from Canada so I spell author like author. IDK. I guess there is a difference or something. **

**LovePinkBear: Yeah, I think all of us were pretty upset about how The Red Games ended. I didn't make the story like how I planned it to be (with a bittersweet ending) because people were asking for a sequel.**

**GreenDayLover306: Thanks for telling me :) I've never really payed attention as to why there are two different spellings for almost every word in the English language. It just messes up my mind :P**

**Merr: Yeah, I missed you! I was wondering why you hadn't reviewed. Well, glad you're back!**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1**

**Please review/follow/favourite! It would really help me out a lot!**


	5. Getting to know you more than before

**Chapter 4: Getting to know you more than before**

**Annabeth's POV**

I was waiting at the McDonald's for Percy, casually sipping a cup of coffee. Lord knows I need it. The study group literally lasted all night. Today, I was basically trying not to blink and living off of coffee and Gatorade.

I swayed slightly, my eyelids drooping. When someone plopped down in the seat across from me, my eyes shot open.

Percy Jackson sat there, hair wet and sticking up everywhere, like he just rubbed it with a towel. There was water dripping from his hair and onto the table.

"I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but I'd say that you just came back from a swim meet," I deduced, giving him an amused look. He nodded, making water fly into my face. A bit irritated, I wiped the water off. Well, I was completely awake now.

"Yeah, that's reason why I'm about...fifteen minutes late," he told me. My eyes widened. He was fifteen minutes late? I checked my phone. The time read five-fifteen. Holy crap, I'm so out of it today!

"Wow, I didn't notice..." I muttered, shocked at how I'm acting. Usually I would do all-nighters, just so I could sketch a building, and the next day I would be fine. Granted, I wouldn't be chipper and whistling show tunes, but at least I wasn't a zombie. Like I am right now.

Percy examined my face.

"What did you do last night? You look like a living dead," he commented. I groaned. I knew I should've worn sunglasses today!

"The study group lasted all night," I explained. "I don't know how Lené can look and act normal today..." He chuckled at my last statement.

"No wonder you're so out of it today," he said, amused. "I expected you to scold me as I walked through the door, because I was fifteen minutes late. That's what you always did when we were..." He trailed off, obviously not wanting to bring that part of our past up. It was one of our agreements. No talking about our...romantic past.

"So...how's school? You're taking Marine Biology right?" I asked, desperately changing the subject. God forbid that this "getting to be friends again" thing become awkward. He nodded.

"Yeah. It's great, I never expected to actually _like _learning about something," he said, shrugging. I laughed. Percy did hate learning...

"So...any new people in your life?" I continued asking. "Any...girls?" His eyes turned a bit blank, like he was remembering something.

"Besides Krisha, no. No new girls," he replied, a bit emotionless. Then he looked at me sharply. "You?"

I shook my head.

"No," I replied. "No one." _You sorta ruined that for me, Perce..._ I wished I could say that, but that would only scare him off. It would scare me, if I was in his position. He nodded, and I caught something in his eyes. Relief? Couldn't be...

"Anyways, how's your dad? How's Susan and the 'terrible twos'?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Truthfully, I haven't been able to talk to them for a while," I admitted, feeling guilty. "They've sent me emails, but I haven't had time to check them. I feel awful about that though." I looked to him. "How's your mom and Paul doing?"

He smiled.

"They've been doing good," he said. "I think Mom mentioned that Paul was moving in with her. It's nice to see her moving on from Dad with a _good _guy." I laughed. He stood up.

"I'll be back," he told me. "I'm going to get fries." I nodded and he left. I couldn't help but think what would happen if Percy and I were the ones to move into an apartment together. It would be...interesting to say the least. At least I would never be bored. He came back.

"Miss me?" he asked jokingly. I cracked a smile.

"Lots," I assured him, half-joking and half-serious. Jeez, what was Percy doing to me?

"Anyways, isn't it weird to know that our ex-English teacher (well, one of them) is dating your mom?" I asked, curious. I could never imagine it, even if Susan wasn't in the picture. He shrugged.

"It was at first," he told me. "I mean, I felt like I had to raise my hand to ask him to pass the garlic bread." I laughed. I could so see him doing that.

"No offense, but I could totally see you doing that," I snickered. He threw a fry at me. I caught it and ate it. He stuck his tongue out at me. Wow, he could be a total kid sometimes.

_You love that about him, Annabeth..._

"So, what have you been studying?" he asked me, sticking a fry in his mouth. I smiled.

"Basically anything to do with architecture," I replied. He frowned at me.

"I'm not so stupid that you can't tell me, Annabeth," he complained. "I'm a big boy now, I think I can listen to your architecture rants without getting lost on the first sentence." I laughed.

"Sure..." I said. He glared at me. I shook my head and he pouted.

"Fine," he sighed. "Hey, did you hear about Jacob?" My ears perked up. What about little Jacob.

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "Why? What happened to Jacob?" Percy smiled widely.

"He said his first word!" he told me excitedly. I squealed. I know, totally uncharacteristic of me, right? I only get this way when I'm near cute things like puppies...and babies...

"What was it?" I asked. Rachel has been raving to be about how she wanted Jacob's first word to be "Momma". What mother wouldn't?

"It was..." he started dramatically. I slapped him and rolled my eyes.

"Just get to the point!" I almost screamed at him.

"Percabeth."

I was confused and amused.

"What the hell is...'Per-'...'Percabeth'?" I asked, completely lost. He sighed, seemingly annoyed at the definition of the mysterious word.

"It's a couple name for us- kind of like 'Brangelina'," he explained. "Really, Annabeth, I thought you'd be smart enough to know this!" I gaped at him.

"I don't know what to be more shocked about," I said. "The fact that you know 'Brangelina' or the fact that we have a couple name. How did Jacob even hear about it in the first place?" He shrugged.

"Well, apparently Thalia had been over a lot and she and Rachel had been talking about us, referring us as 'Percabeth'."

I rolled my eyes. Trust Rachel and Thalia to come up with the weirdest names ever.

"I'm gonna kill them," I muttered to myself. He laughed.

"Well, you gotta admit," he shrugged. "'Percabeth' sounds pretty damn catchy."

I threw a fry in his face.

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, I'll admit it. This was not the way I planned this chapter to go. But hey, it's a little break from all the drama right? I was literally just thinking 'Why does Percabeth sound so...funny?', then this idea popped into my head. Hope you enjoyed! See you tomorrow in the next chapter (maybe)!**

**Thanks to: samantha2829, brharrypotter7, August1999, Booknerd124, AtlantaJackson95, Merr, **

**Messiml, MeandMarisa, DuctTapePegasus, StreakyStarr, McKennaSuaveDaughterofPoseid on, MusicIsMyLife14, Jade-Queen of Fantasy, SMILEit'sjaelyn, Guest(s), Hiiiiiii, GreenDayLover306, emblah01, Artemis-gurl, kgirlma, peanutbuttre7, Bobz1212, lovinbooks10, NotsoSugarQueen, Rose-loves-Dimitri, TheBlueAlienZombieRobot, Goddess of fear, blueskiesandgreengrass13, PPP4eva, Owltalon, SilverLiningsGirl, DarkHairedHeroes, Meghanromeara, KatieElizabethGrace for reviewing/following/favouriting!**

**AtlantaJackson95: No, Percy isn't dating Lené. They "broke up" after their first "date".**

**Hiiiiiii: No, I live in Canada (which I love). BTW I absolutely LOVE England. Want go there soon, but have no money :(**

**Rose-loves-Dimitri: HAHA, you have no idea how much that KPOP reference made my day, since I'm Korean (well, my parents are anyways) :) GO KOREA!**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1**

**Please review/follow/favourite! It would really help me out a lot!**


	6. I'm speechless

**Chapter 5: I'm speechless**

**Annabeth's POV**

I took a cab to Percy's university, knowing that he'll be outside waiting for me. It wasn't a date! But boy, do I wish...

Sometimes, it's really hard to keep these feelings bottled up inside me, especially since Lené made me go on a chick-flick marathon with her. Seriously, 'The Notebook', 'Moulin Rouge!', 'Pride and Prejudice', 'The Proposal', 'Love, Actually', and a disturbing amount of 'Twilight'. I was literally a bundle of hormones.

I just hope that we don't end up watching a sappy romantic movie, otherwise I would confess my love and basically ruin everything. Sure, Percy and I had (briefly) talked about rekindling our...relationship. But we decided against it. We need to be friends first, right? That's how most non-dating site relationships start, right?

I sighed and hit my head on the back of my seat. I needed to get my freaking head together. Seriously, I was just _seconds_ away from grovelling on my knees for someone to slap some sense into me. Personally, I blame Lené. If she hadn't made me watch all those movies with her, I would be sane right now. I wouldn't be thinking about Percy so much, instead, I would be thinking of that project or something.

Crap, the project. Sure, I'm more than half-way finished with it, but... I'm a perfectionist. I literally took a two hour long personality test justto find out if I was. Considering that I actually finished the test and hadn't given up half-way like I would've with any other thing, I am.

The taxi driver pulled to a stop, making me jolt out of my thoughts. I looked out the window and saw Percy standing there, a bit uncomfortable. He was dressed in skinny jeans and a simple blue t-shirt. How is he not sweating bucket loads right now? I was dressed in shorts and a white tank top! And yet, I feel like I'm in an oven.

_Okay Annabeth, next time, choose a different place to live that doesn't make you have a heat stroke everyday. _

I rolled down the window.

"Percy!" I yelled. His head snapped up, searching. He quickly found me in cab, waving at him. He grinned at me and walked to the cab. I opened the door for him and he slid next to me.

"Hey," he greeted. I smiled.

"Hi," I replied. The taxi driver cleared his throat.

"Where to, lovebirds?" he asked. Percy and I shared a glance then looked back at the taxi driver. I could see that Percy was turning bright red, like he was sunburned.

"Um...w-w-we a-aren't..." he stammered, trying desperately to explain.

"Just drive us to the other place I told you to drive us, please," I snapped, a bit irritated. The guy shrugged and started driving. I huffed and leaned back into my seat. Seriously, the nerve of people...

"So, um...what's up?" Percy asked me, his blush fading. "I mean, it's been a while since we've seen each other." I laughed.

"Yeah, it's been two weeks," I teased. He just grinned.

"It feels like a lifetime."

Things went a bit silent after that. I mean, how the heck am I supposed to react to that without telling him that I love him? And that I want him back? Ugh, life is so complicated sometimes...

"Well, um..." I said, starting to answer his question. "What have I been doing these past two weeks? I have been studying, studying, studying, and going on a chick-flick marathon with Lené." He raised an eyebrow.

"Chick-flick marathon?" he teased. "Who are you and what have you done with Annabeth Chase?" I rolled my eyes and smacked him lightly across the chest.

"Hey! Lené forced me to do it! She had just broken up with her latest boyfriend and felt the need to watch chick-flicks with someone and cry her poor little heart out over a tub of ice cream. Unfortunately, I'm the only one who can put up with her on hormone express."

He laughed.

"'Hormone express'?" he asked, between gasps of air. "Ha! I'm gonna use that next time." I mock-glared at him.

"Oh no you don't, Mister! I claim copyright over that one."

He pouted. I just cracked a small grin and looked front. The driver had turned something on. I listened carefully to the familiar voice. I realized with disgust that it was Taylor Swift.

"Um...can you please turn that off?" I asked him. "I'll pay you ten extra cents." The guy eyed me from the mirror.

"You have a problem with Taylor Swift?" he asked me, amused. I shrugged.

"Well, yeah. I mean, her songs are all about guys, so it does get pretty annoying sometimes," I explained myself.

"Touché," the guy muttered and turned it off with a chuckle. The rest of the ride happened in silence. The driver dropped us off at the theatre and I payed him, including the ten extra cents I promised. As the driver drove off, Percy and I stared at the movie posters, trying to decide what to watch.

"'Brave'?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Disney movie?" he said, a bit disgusted. "I would never live it down." I laughed. Oh, guys with their 'I'm-so-tough' image.

"Okay, how about...'The Bourne Legacy'? That'll keep your manliness," I suggested. Did I just imagine it, or did his chest just puff out a little?

"As much as I would like to, I can't. Wouldn't understand a thing," he said. He seemed a bit downcast.

"Okay...'Snow White and the Huntsman'?"

He shrugged.

"It has Kristen Stewart in it," he said, as if that was the flaw. I chuckled.

"So?" I asked. He gave me a serious look.

"She is a weird human being. I secretly believe that she is a cyborg sent here to destroy our brains with her horrible acting."

I couldn't help it. I started laughing like a retarded hyena in the middle of the street. Not only was the sentence itself hilarious, but the way he said it was just...gut busting.

He waited patiently for me to finish. I finally did and was left wheezing for breath.

"Well...it's our only...option..." I gasped. "Sorry..." He just shrugged.

"I'll be fine. But we will leave if I barf in my popcorn."

_Don't start laughing like a retarded hyena again, Annabeth. Not only is it unattractive, it is rather embarrassing. Especially on a street full of people..._

"'Snow White and the Huntsman' it is then," I declared. I had one of those prepaid tickets, while Percy had to wait in line.

"I'll go get the popcorn. Want anything?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Just buy me some Sour Patch Kids," he told me. I nodded and he handed me a ten dollar bill. I grabbed it and walked to the concession area.

I literally stood there for ten minutes, waiting for the stupid people to move their butts and finish the orders. There were only two people in the line in front of me! They really need to fire these people...

Eventually, I was able to get mine and Percy's food. He was waiting for me towards the theatre. He was smiling goofily at a piece of paper in his hand. I was instantly curious as to what it was. I peered over his shoulder when I reached him.

"So, whatcha got there?" I asked him. He just smiled at me.

"There's a pretty girl at the ticket selling place. She gave me her number."

My jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out. I tried hard to keep my grip on the popcorn.

"Wow..." I muttered. What is this...pain flowing from my heart going down to my stomach?

"I know right?" he exclaimed excitedly. "Isn't it amazing? I just asked for her number and she gave it to me! That never worked before..."

I wasn't listening to him anymore as we walking towards to the theatre where our movie was showing.

"What do you think, Annabeth? Annabeth?"

I literally couldn't say anything, as much as I wanted to. My whole body was numb, but still functioning.

I was speechless.

* * *

**A/N**

**So here's the (inevitable) drama! And I would like to send out a 'Make your own OC' contest! Just PM me details about the OC who will play the girl who gave Percy her number (name, eye colour, height, etc.) And if you're a guest and would still like to participate, you can just send in your...OC in the reviews! The contest will end on Wednesday! BTW, I'm sorry if I got some facts wrong (such as the release date of Snow White and the Huntsman)! **

**Thanks to: ChaptersGirl, kendylousoshi, lara, Guest(s), brharrypotter, peanutbuttre7, MeandMarisa, GreenDayLover306, AtlantaJackson95, KabraPotterJackson, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, MusicIsMyLife14, Messiml, PJOOF16, blueskiesandgreengrass13, percabethluver77, WisdomGoddessAthenae, SilverLiningsGirl, I3gllaghergirls, Hannibalrider, shadowhunterfrompanem for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**lara: Haha, thanks for the idea!**

**MeandMarisa: I will read your friend's fanfic if I have time. Problem is, I only have time to write and update and not do much else since I missed two weeks of school and am trying to catch up! If I'm not able to read it in time, I am really sorry! :(**

**WisdomGoddessAthenae: Yes, I am able to speak Korean, but I'm not, like, PRO at it. I understand it and I'm able to read and sloppily write in it.**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1 (I'm gonna keep nagging you... LOL. JK)**

**Please review/follow/favourite! It would really help me out a lot!**


	7. Please? For me?

**Chapter 6: Please? For me?**

To say that I was pleased with Percy at that moment, would be an absolute LIE. Basically, I just ignored him while he was trying to talk to me during the movie. It was actually sort of hard, since I was basically BORED OUT OF MY MIND. Sure, the plot wasn't that bad, but...I don't know. I guess that I'm not in the mood to watch a movie anymore.

Anyways, I was desperate to rant out to someone, since the movie was NOT helping my bad mood, but unfortunately Percy was the only one there to rant to. And, as you know, I was not particularly happy with Percy at that moment.

Finally, the movie ended, and Percy and I walked out of the theatre. Percy threw his popcorn in the garbage, while I stuffed my bag of popcorn in my bag, drinking from my pop.

"What did you think of that movie?" he asked me. I shrugged. God, I had so many things to say! I need to keep with the silent treatment, though. He poked my in the side with his elbow.

"Come on, Annabeth!" he teased. "I know you have a lot of negative things to say about the movie and it's actors." I glared at him. Damn him for knowing him so well. His laugh almost made my resolve melt. I shook my head, telling him that I didn't want to talk. He pouted. My resolve melted away into a puddle. I sighed.

We had just neared the ticket booth.

"Well..." I started to say. But Percy's attention went somewhere else. I just rambled on, not noticing that he wasn't listening. Heck, I was so into talking that I didn't even notice that he walked off! Minutes had passed, and I was almost finished.

"And that is why I absolutely was bored and unimpressed during that movie," I concluded, proud of my monologue. I looked towards Percy. Well, thin air at least. I frowned. Where was he? I looked around, trying to find him. Stupid thoughts invaded my brain.

_What if he got mugged? Or kidnapped? Or worse...arrested?_

I was literally frantic. Then, I spotted a familiar unruly mop of black hair. Percy was standing near the ticket booth, talking with this girl. She had wavy raven black hair with a dark blue streak in the front. Her eyes were a sea blue, and the sense of style she had reminded me of Thalia. She was wearing a black leather jacket with a dark blue t-shirt underneath. Her shirt matched with her hair. She was wearing dark grey skinny jeans and black flip flops.

Her sense of style was...unique, especially for the California sun.

For a second, I wondered who she was, but I knew when Percy put a hand on her shoulder. She was the girl that gave him her number.

I saw that she said something, and Percy laughed. Like a lot. More than he ever laughed at my jokes. I felt my stomach drop. Why did I feel this way?

_You love him, that's why._

I knew better not to ignore that voice of reason in my head. Look where it got me the last time I did. I checked the time. It was around nine o'clock, and I needed to design a building for one of my classes.

"Percy!" I called to the couple. He looked at me, curious. "Let's go!" He nodded, said a quick goodbye to the girl, and started walking towards me, a bright smile on his face. And...the irritation was back.

"'Sup?" he asked, as soon as he reached me. I turned around and walked out, him following on my heels.

"Annabeth!" he said, grabbing my arm and turning me around. "What's wrong?" I bit my lip.

_To tell, or not to tell, that is the question._

"I'll tell you in the cab," I told him coldly. For a second, he looked shocked at my cold tone, but he just nodded. I hailed a cab and the two of us climbed in. The first ten minutes of the ride lasted in silence.

"Now will you tell me why you're so angry at me?" Percy demanded, breaking the tense and cold silence. I closed my eyes, fighting to control the emotions that were going to come out. Tears, declaration of love.

Oh Lord, I'm not watching chick-flicks with Lené anymore.

"Why don't you guess?" I asked him, still cold. Why am I acting like this? I should be absolutely happy for him, because he found his absolute soul mate.

"You're jealous." It took second for him to reply. Hm. It seems like he had that idea in his head for a long time. Crap, crap, crap. I need to cover (not that I am jealous).

I scoffed.

"Seriously? You wish," I said, crossing my arms and legs and leaning into my seat. He gave me a skeptical look.

"I don't know, Annabeth," he said, looking at me. "You seem to be really irritated once I showed you Bec's phone number."

"Hah!" I laughed. "The only reason why I was irritated is because you... Wait, Beck?" The "girl's" name struck me.

"Yeah, Bec," Percy confirmed. But...Beck is a _guy's _name. What the hell?

"Wait so...Beck's a...guy?" I asked, super confused about the situation. Percy frowned at me, thinking about what I just asked. Then it hit him, and he started laughing like a hyena.

"No!" he said, in between laughs. "Bec, Annabeth, BEC! Like B-E-C not B-E-C-K!" He basically was ROFL-ing, like Lené would say in this situation.

"So...it's a girl?" I asked, becoming more irritated with each laugh Percy barked out. He nodded, gasping for air.

"Her real name is Rebecca. She is more of a tomboy so she shortens her name. It used to be 'Becca', but she felt like it was too girly, so she calls herself 'Bec' now," he explained, face red. I sighed and looked away.

I didn't want to think about her as an enemy, since she really reminded me of Thalia at this point. And Thalia dating Percy? I think that's illegal, and really gross/weird. Oh Lord, I am thinking like Percy...

Please drive faster Mr. Taxi driver!

Ugh! Stop it, Annabeth!

_Jeez, I need to spend less time with this moron_, I thought affectionately. Then I remembered that I was pissed at him. I frowned, wiping away the small smile that was on my face only a few moments ago.

"We're here, miss," the taxi driver said. We had stopped at my campus first.

"Annabeth," Percy said, grabbing my wrist. "If...you do meet Bec, please...be nice. For me."

I pushed Percy's hand off my wrist, payed my half of the taxi fare, and walked out of the taxi; not sparing a glance behind me.

* * *

I walked into my dorm room with a sigh. Lené was on her bed, reading a textbook. She looked up.

"Hey," she greeted. "I thought that you'd be out longer." She registered my expression. "What happened?"

"Percy got a girl's number while we were there," I told her, flopping onto my bed, fully clothed. I kicked my flip flops off and leaned my head into my pillow. Lené stood up and sat on my bed.

"Really?" she asked. I nodded. "What happened?" I shrugged.

"I don't even know, I was buying popcorn!" I exclaimed. I remembered the moment where he showed me the number. I felt my stomach drop again. I hated the feeling.

"And then?" she asked, feeling like there was more to this.

"I was basically ignoring him throughout the whole movie," I said. "And Percy kept trying to talk to me. He seemed happy, happier than he ever was with me, ever since he got that girl's phone number." She gave me a sympathetic look.

"Then, I was telling him about the stuff I liked and didn't like about the movie, since he asked for it," I continued, feeling even more miserable with every word. "And he just walked off!" Lené's eyes widened.

"You're kidding!"

I shook my head.

"Nope, I looked around and found him talking to the girl." Lené had a frown on her face.

"Okay," she said. "I know that guys are totally stupid and don't give a crap about the girl and her feelings, but that is low." I nodded. Wow, this is one of the first girl talks I've ever had. Sure, Rachel wanted to have girl talks during her pregnancy, and we sorta did, but I got upset and stopped them. She understood, and talked to Susan instead. And Thalia...well, we all know Thalia. Not the girl talk type.

"What's the girl's name?" Lené asked, grabbing a glass of water from her bedside table. I thought back.

"Um, Rebecca, I think. Percy says that she likes to be called 'Bec," I started explaining.

"'Beck'?" Lené asked, confused like I had been. "Isn't that a dude's name." I nodded.

"I thought that too! But apparently it's B-E-C not B-E-C-K," I told her. She nodded.

"Anyways, she has black wavy hair, with a blue streak in the front. And she has a biker-chick style," I said. Lené nodded.

"I didn't know Percy was into biker-chicks," she said.

"Me neither," I shrugged. She sighed and stood up.

"Don't worry about it too much, Annabeth," she consoled me. "I believe that this relationship won't last more than a week or two. A month max." I nodded. I trusted Lené. She had this weird connection with love. The girl is unlucky in love, getting a boyfriend and breaking up with him just days afterward, but she knows a lot about other people's relationships.

"'Kay," I said. I stood up and walked to my desk.

"I'm gonna shower," Lené told me. I sat down in my chair.

"Okay! Just don't use up all the hot water like you did last time!" I called to her.

"That was an accident!" she called from the bathroom before shutting the door.

I chuckled and turned my desk lamp on. I sharpened my pencil, grabbed a new sheet of graph paper, and started designing.

All thoughts of Percy and Rebecca left my mind.

_At least I won't ever have to talk to her again, right?_

Wrong.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hey guys! I'm sorry I've been AWOL lately. I...don't have an excuse. Sorry. Also, I don't know what to feel about this chapter... Anyways, I'll reveal the contest winner tomorrow (or later today, who knows). I'll see you next chapter!**

**Thanks to: Bookworm1997, LilyWhite13, greendaylover306, The1andOnlyWiseGirl, Guest(s), AnnabethsDagger, thegreyeyedgirl, Jade-Queen of Fantasy, ThatGirlIntheBack, MeandMarisa, lovinbooks10, MegJackson, AtlantaJackson95, MusicIsMyLife14, August1999, bookfreaklol, Goddess of fear, Bobz1212, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, Messiml, PJOOF16, percythepanda, Charline, PPP4eva, Lilith Jae, aslongaswe'retogether123, fantasy girl loves fantasy, Theimagination, rockinflower101, p4d for reviewing/following/favouriting! **

**greendaylover306: Yeah, I forgot to mention that the first cover was only a temporary cover :/ Oops. Anyways, yeah, I was just looking for the perfect cover when I found the new one :)**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1**

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would really help me out a lot!**


	8. I Meet My Enemy

**Chapter 7: I meet my enemy**

It had been one month, six days, and nine hours since I started ignoring Percy. He tried to contact me for a few weeks, but gave up. I knew that this was a repeat of what happened last year, where I ignored Percy because I kissed him on the cheek, and was confused about my feelings afterwards. It was not one of my brightest moments in life. But at least I had a good reason as to why I was ignoring him, and it wasn't over something stupid as conflicting emotions. Well, it did have something to do with emotions...

As much as I didn't want to know about Rebecca, I just wanted to meet her and talk to her. To see if she would be a good...girlfriend for Percy. Sure, he might not feel the same way about me like I thought, but that doesn't mean we still can't be friends.

...Right?

"Annabeth!" a voice broke through my thoughts. I looked up, pulling my earphone out of my right ear. I was laying on my stomach, on my bed, studying. As always.

Lené stood next to my bed, hands on her hips.

"What's up?" I asked her. She smiled.

"I just hope that you didn't forget about my birthday party tonight?" she asked me innocently. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Of course I hadn't forgot!" I exclaimed. "I'm basically the one that did your budgeting for this, just to make sure you don't spend over $500. Which you apparently did, according to your brother." She just rolled her eyes and sat down on my bed.

"That was when I was young and naive," she said.

"That was last year," I retorted. She rolled her eyes again and sighed.

"Whatever," she said. I smiled at her. She stood up and stretched.

"Did you already take a shower?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah, like thirty minutes ago. Why?" I replied, confused as to why she asked.

"Cause I'm probably going to use up all of our hot water," she stated and walked into the bathroom.

"Have fun," I called, flipping a page.

"I will!"

The door shut with a click, and I was alone once again.

_Peace and quiet..._

"And I...e-I...will...alwaayssss...loooovee yooooouuuuuuu I-iiiiiiiiiii..will...alwaaaayyyyysssss...loooooveeee yoou-ooh!" Lené's off-key singing came from the bathroom. I groaned. See what I had to live with? I grabbed my pillow and buried my head under it.

This was going to take a while...

* * *

It was six o'clock, and Lené and I were at the restaurant (Olive Garden) where her "party" was taking place. It wasn't really a party, per say. I mean, it didn't have all the things the typical "college party" would have. No booze, no dance club music, no clubs, etc. It was basically like a small dinner with a few of her close friends.

I knew I was friends with Lené for a reason.

"Hey Annabeth," Lené said, sounding nervous for some reason. I looked to her.

"Yeah?" I asked. She bit her lip.

"I don't know how to say this, but... I invited Percy."

I was confused as to why she was nervous as to telling me this. I mean, I have nothing wrong with Percy being at Lené's party, I mean, we're all friends.

"That's fine," I told her. "Now...do you know where the bathroom is? I need to pee." I was about to turn around when she grabbed my arm. I looked at her, my eyebrow raised.

"You don't understand," she continued. "I told Percy that it was okay to bri-" She looked behind us and her eyes widened, the sentence dying in her throat.

"Lené!" a painfully familiar voice called from behind us. Percy.

I turned around, a wide smile on my face.

Then, I saw her. Rebecca.

That feeling in my stomach came back.

She was really pretty, maybe even more than before. She was wearing a knee-length semi-tight dress. Her hair was in a ponytail, sort of accenting the blue streak in her hair. She was wearing ankle boots, that were black. Her sea blue eyes popped out from all the black she was wearing.

Percy was holding hands with her and they approached us.

"Hey, Lené," he greeted her. Ooh. Ouch. "Happy birthday!" Lené stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey, Percy! How are you? It's been a while," she said. Then she looked at Rebecca, who was staring curiously at her. "Who's this?" Percy looked between Lené and Rebecca.

"Oh, this is Rebecca, my girlfriend," he introduced. At the word 'girlfriend', I saw Lené's eyes widen in curiosity. "Rebecca this is my friend, Lené." The two of them shook hands.

I cleared my throat, feeling rather left out of the conversation. I stepped forward.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about me, Perce," I joked weakly. He gave me a small smile.

"Of course not, hello," he said to me. I smiled a little, then I looked to Rebecca.

"Hello, I don't believe we met," I said.

"Me neither," she replied. "Percy, why don't you introduce us." Percy looked nervous.

"Um, Rebecca, this is Annabeth," he introduced. "Annabeth, this is Rebecca Carter."

"Wait a minute," Lené cut in, looking as if she had a huge revelation. "_You're _Bec?" 'Bec' shrugged.

"Yeah," she replied. "The one and only." I scoffed. They all looked at me curiously.

"I seriously doubt that you are the one and only 'Bec' in the world," I said snarkily. Lené and Percy gave me a curious look.

_What are you doing? _

I ignored the logical and sensible voice in my head.

"It's just a figure of speech," Bec replied, giving me a glare. I rolled my eyes.

"Um...shall we sit down and wait for the others?" Lené asked.

"Yes, lets," Percy replied quickly, pulling Bec towards the table that Lené was leading us to. Us four sat down.

"So...is anyone else coming?" Percy said, breaking the silence between the four of us. I shook my head.

"Unfortunately, Derek just texted me, he said that he just broke his leg at football practice," I said, looking up from my phone. It had buzzed earlier, but I didn't have the time to pick it up until now. Lené had a look of concern on her face.

"We'll go visit after the party," I reassured her. She nodded.

"So, it was just me, you, Bec, and Annabeth?" Percy asked. Lené nodded sadly. I could tell she was super worried about Derek.

"Alright, let's order quickly and eat," I said. Bec shot me a look.

"What? No cake?" she asked. I shrugged.

"Derek was supposed to bring it."

Lené looked at me.

"So _that's_ why you didn't want me to buy a cake..." she murmured in realization.

"Well, we should at least sing 'happy birthday'," Bec said to me irritably. Percy nodded eagerly. Ugh, I wanted to punch this girl so bad...

"Of course we will," I replied through gritted teeth. "Now shut up and decide on what you want to eat." She gave me another glare and started to look at her menu.

What is wrong with this girl?

* * *

Dinner went by smoothly, there were a few bumps in the road (courtesy of Rebecca), but other than that, dinner lasted about thirty minutes less than it was planned. Which meant for Lené to spend more time with Derek. She had been looking rather eager for the dinner to end, even if it was for her own birthday. I guess she loves her brother that much.

"So where's Derek now?" Percy asked, as the four of us walked out of the restaurant. I checked my phone.

"He's at the emergency room. Apparently, a broken leg is not as much of a 'emergency' as other injuries supposedly are," I told him.

"How does Derek know your number?" he asked me, curious. But there was another emotion buried in there. I just couldn't put my finger on it...

"We switched, just in case something happens to Lené and we need to contact each other," I said, shrugging. He nodded absently.

"Percy!" Rebecca's (rather annoying) voice called. We both looked. It seems as if she already hailed a cab.

"Be right there!" he called to her. Then he turned back to me. "Text me, I'll come to the E.R. right after I drop Bec off." I nodded and gave him a small wave.

"Have fun," I told him, a hint of bitterness in my voice. He turned around and walked away. I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Percy would never let me live it down if he found out that I was jealous of Rebecca...which I'm not.

_Just admit it._

...Alright I am a bit jealous.

As I stepped into the cab with Lené, I looked back onto the awkward dinner. Then I realized something.

I had just met my enemy.

* * *

**A/N**

**Crappy chapter, I know. Anyways, sorry for not updating as much as usual. Life gets in the way, you know? ****The winner of the OC contest thinger was...Imnottelling (guest)**

**Thanks to: ****Sunset22, Artemishunter245, blah, Owltalon, Guest(s), PurpleQueen981, MeandMarisa, megameghamango, kendylousoshi, Athena's gray owl, IcyRose66, PJOOF16, MESamPepJZ, greendaylover306, August1999, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, Jade-Queen of Fantasy, Messiml, MusicIsMyLife14, Kim3375, luv1write12234, PPP4eva, KabraPotterJackson, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, Pilantly Virtuous, Guest123, SilverLiningsGirl, Imnottelling, ThatGirlIntheBack, ** **AthenaGrayEyes98, samantha2829, Genaegis, ****beforefirecouldcatchme, thegreyeyedgirl for reviewing/following/favouriting!**

**thegreyeyedgirl: Well, favourite colour...hm... I don't know if it has a name, but you know that eye colour that's like a mix of blue, green, and grey? That.**

**Artemishunter245: Here's the answer to your questions:**

**1)Bec does not go to a college as of yet**

**2)Yes, Percy likes Annabeth, but is trying to get **_**over**_** her and what she did last year**

**3) There are no gods or demigods in this story. I thought that was clear in the prequel to this one. Sorry if you didn't get that, or if I'm sounding rude, it's just that I already wrote about the gods being humans.**

**4) I mildly support Thalico. I'm not total Thalico, but I have nothing against it.**

**5)Again, no gods/demigods, no Camp Half-Blood. Sorry to disappoint**

**6)Probably**

**7)Percy is not gay**

**8) It says Percabeth so yes, there will be more Percabeth**

**9) There's an email and you click on the link in it. The email will probably be titled 'Activation'**

**Owltalon: Don't worry, I completely understand. I'm still in school too, and I missed quite a lot, so I'm working really hard to catch up. So yeah, not much time to update either...**

**PurpleQueen981: Awww...sorry to hear that :(**

**greendaylover306: I will take suggestions, but I would have to confer with the person who made the OC (one of my friends, and no, she did not win the OC contest because of that) so...yeah. I will talk to her about your suggestion though :)**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1**

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would really help me out a lot!**


	9. I'm confused

**Chapter 8: I'm confused**

Lené basically threatened the taxi driver to drive faster. She was worried a lot, I could tell. Actually, I think that everyone could tell, since she was frowning at the driver every passing minute, and she was biting her perfectly manicured nails. I grabbed her wrist and pulled it down, away from her mouth. She gave me a questioning look. I let go of her wrist and shrugged.

"Listen, you're probably going to be moaning on and on about your nails tomorrow," I told her sternly. "I don't want you blaming me for not stopping you." She gave me a small smile and a thankful look. The taxi driver quickly screeched to a stop.

"Here you go, ma'ams," he said in his southern accent. Lené reached into her purse to get some cash, but I stopped her.

"I'll pay."

She opened her mouth to retort but I cut her off.

"No. One, it's your birthday, so there's no way in Heaven, Hell, or Earth that I'm letting you pay. Two, you need to get to Derek ASAP, since you're so worried. Go! If you want, I'll make you pay me back later. I'll even charge tip."

She took a second to think about it, but then she nodded and scrambled out of the car. I took out my debit card and handed it to the taxi driver. He swiped the card and I quickly punched in my pin number. I took out my card and got out of the car.

"Have a nice night," the guy said and quickly drove out of the lot as soon as I closed the door. I walked as fast as I could into the emergency room. Lené sat down next to Derek, who was one of the only people waiting in the emergency room.

"Hey guys," I said, walking towards them. "Hey Derek, you alright?" I sat down on his other side. There was a huge bag of ice on his leg. His face was grimaced in pain. Lené was holding onto his hand.

_You know, if you didn't know better, you would think that they were dating..._

I shuddered at the thought and tried to pass it off as being cold.

"Derek!" a voice called. All of us looked to the entrance. Percy walked forward, in the same suit he wore to the dinner. He sat down next to me, giving Derek a concerned look.

"Dude, what happened?" he asked. Derek shrugged.

"I was about to leave practice, but we had a tackling exercise," he explained. "I got tackled by Jack Drevland, one of the best tacklers. I guess I landed the wrong way, because I ended up with this." He pointed to his leg.

"Wow," Percy said stunned. "They put _you _against _Jack Drevland_? Are they insane?" Lené and I exchanged confused looks.

"Why is it so bad that he was put up against Jack Drevland?" Lené asked.

"He's one of the strongest people in the entire school," Derek explained. "Also, he's like...twenty-three. I'm nineteen. But people are congratulating me, though. People who get tackled by Drevland get worse than a broken leg."

I was impressed.

"That's amazing," I confessed. He tried to puff up his chest, but moved his broken leg in an awkward way.

"Ugh," he groaned.

I put a hand on his knee in comfort.

"It'll be okay," I said, smiling softly at him. He smiled at me also. I stared into his eyes. I never realized how different his eye colour was compared to Lené's...

Percy cleared his throat. I looked at him. His eyes were trained on my hand on Derek's knee. There was something clouding his eyes, some emotion... One I saw frequently in my own eyes when I see him with Rebecca.

Jealousy.

Yes, I'll admit. I was jealous of Rebecca and Percy. I know I shouldn't be, considering what I did to him last year.

But why would Percy Jackson be jealous? I mean, it's not like I like Derek in _that way..._I think.

I'm so out of it right now that I don't even know my own emotions.

"Mr Derek Parmel?" a nurse asked, stepping out. We helped Derek stand up.

"Here," Lené said. The nurse stared at the group of us skeptically.

"All of you?" she questioned. "Are you all family?" Percy and I shook our heads.

"Family only please," she requested. Sadly, Percy and I sat back down. The nurse noticed our disappointed looks and sent us a sympathetic smile. "As much as I would like to let you in, hospital policy, sorry." Then she looked at Lené. "What is your relationship to Mr Parmel?"

"I'm his sister," Lené answered. The nurse nodded and wrote something on her check board. Then she supported Derek, along with Lené, and took him to a hospital room.

Leaving Percy and I all alone.

Awkward...

"Hey, Annabeth," Percy said, breaking the awkward silence. I looked up into his sea-green eyes that still entrance me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Well, um..." he said, starting to become rather nervous. "...never mind." I shrugged and suddenly became rather interested at the wall.

"So, um...how are you and Rebecca going?" I asked, pushing away all the regret I got from asking the question.

"Well...we're doing good I guess," he shrugged. "I mean, we don't have a lot of spark in the relationship. But...you know, she's a great girl, so it's worth a try, right?" It seemed as if he was questioning himself.

I shrugged also.

"I don't know," I replied. "I don't know what's happening in your relationship. So...no point in asking me." I tried to bite back what was rising on my tongue.

_Dump her! Dump her now! Over text message! Come back to me!_

"If you had to tell me what to do, what would you tell me?" he pressed, sensing that I had something to say. I bit my lip. Should I tell him?

"Please, Annabeth."

I took a deep breath.

"I don't know if you and Rebecca are compatible," I confessed. "I mean, the two of you seem a bit awkward with each other. Also, she reminds me of Thalia, except Thalia is more...tolerable. Sorry. Okay, so I'll just spit it out. I think that you should go with someone else. I don't believe that Rebecca is the right one for you."

Ugh, why does that sound so awful?

Percy looked thoughtful.

The two of us sat in silence for a few minutes. I was looking at the number of paintings on the wall.

"Annabeth?" Percy broke the silence.

"Hm?" I answered, looking at him in surprise.

"What...what if I told you that I was still in love with you?" he asked me seriously. Or at least, I hope he was serious.

"Well...I would probably think that you were joking," I replied. He leaned in a bit, staring into my eyes.

"Hypothetically, what would I have to do to convince you that I was serious?" he breathed out, his face an inch away from mine. My eyes bore into his, green meeting grey.

"I-I...I don't know..." I whispered back, uncertainty in my voice.

"Maybe this would convince you."

He kissed me on the lips.

I froze. Here was Percy Jackson kissing me. After months and months.

_What are you doing Annabeth? Isn't this what you were waiting for?_

I started to kiss him back.

I realized that this was the most unromantic way to "reunite".

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat. Percy and I broke apart.

The nurse was back, and she had a light flush against her cheeks.

"Um...Miss Parmel told me to tell you that she wishes that the two of you go home," the nurse told us. I exchanged gazes with Percy. Lené walked out of the room.

"Percy, I'm really sorry to ask you this, but I must. Can you please look after Derek and take him home once he gets his cast and crutches?" Lené asked. Percy nodded. "Thanks." I stood up. Lené walked over and I grabbed my bag from the floor.

"Bye," I said to Percy. He just waved.

We left.

The entire taxi ride home I just kept replaying the kiss over and over in my head.

My emotions were a jumble.

I am SO confused...

* * *

**A/N**

**PERCABETH! :)))) **

**Ugh, so tired and I have to finish typing this quick because my mom's forcing me to go hiking with my Girl Guide group (similar to Girl Scouts).**

**And I know...this wasn't one of my better chapters.**

**Thanks to: PurpleQueen981, Guest(s), AtlantaJackson95, MeandMarisa, AnnabethsDagger, Ida, Twiles, WisdomGoddessAthenae, PPP4eva, patchisminebitches, Charline, blueskiesandgreengrass13, Messiml, thegreyeyedgirl, emblah01, August1999, greendaylover306, percabethluver77, MusicIsMyLife14, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, PJOOF16, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, ThatGirlIntheBack, myfabulosity for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1 (Percy and Annabeth are just friends in this guys...)**

**Please review/follow/favourite! It would really help me out a lot!**

**Sorry for no review answers this time, I'll get to them in the next chapter. I'm just really tired :(**

**See you guys next chapter!**


	10. Help me

**Chapter 9: Help me **

I didn't see Percy for a week after that. I had been keeping in touch with Derek though. He was a good friend. According to Derek, Percy was indeed ignoring me and he was still dating Rebecca. Ugh, coward. I had tried to get Percy to call me. In fact I had called him quite a few times.

Soon, exams approached, and I was going to go back to New York. Derek told me that Percy was planning on going there also, without Rebecca.

Perfect.

Without her around, I would be able to actually _talk _to Percy about the kiss.

"Annabeth," Lené called, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked to her. She handed me a long-sleeved shirt.

"What's this?" I questioned her, as she stared at me expectantly. I unfolded the shirt. It was grey and had a graphic owl on the front. Usually, I would hate getting something like this, but I actually loved this gift. I hugged her.

"Thank you," I said, letting go of her. "You didn't have to get this, you know." She shrugged.

"You know how I went shopping with Nick?" she asked. Nick was Lené's new boyfriend. I nodded.

"Well, I found this shirt and immediately thought of you. So I thought that I would buy it for you," she continued. I smiled and gave her another hug. When I pulled away, I opened my zipped suitcase that was on my bed, neatly folded the shirt, and put it in the suitcase. I re-zipped it up, lifted it off my bed, and set in on the floor.

"I have to go catch my plane," I told her sadly. She pouted. She was staying here for the break.

"I wish I could go to New York with you!" she complained. "But I hardly have enough money to buy enough instant noodles to last the week." I smiled at her. Now she was over-exaggerating. Lené had more than enough money to last a lifetime.

"Maybe next time," I shrugged. "In the summer." She smiled and nodded.

"Probably the best time to go to New York," she agreed. I laughed. I checked the time.

"I think the taxi driver is here," I told her. She looked sad once again.

"I'll miss you, Annabeth," she cried and hugged me. I hugged her back.

"Me too, Lené," I said. "I'll get you something for Christmas from New York." She pulled back and gave me a smile.

"Skype and email everyday?" she asked. I agreed. We shared one last smile, then I picked up my suitcase, gave her one last smile, and left the building.

I climbed into the taxi that was waiting for me and got ready to see everyone back in New York again.

* * *

It was a four and a half hour plane ride.

I was seriously tired by the time that I got off the plane, since it was ten at night, and all the sleep I lost from studying came back to me. I stumbled off the plane and went to the luggage pickup place. I got my suitcase and walked to the visitors area. I was rubbing my eyes when I heard two energetic voices yell.

"Annabeth!"

I looked up blearily. Bobby and Matthew were jumping up and down. Wow. They were happy to see me. I have never seen them this excited to see me, ever.

"Hey guys," I greeted walked towards my family. Susan pulled me into a hug. I dropped my suitcase and hugged her back. She pulled away and examined my face.

"Annabeth, you look so tan! Even tanner than usual. California must be doing you some good," she complimented. I smiled sleepily at her.

"Thank you," I muttered, fatigue coating my voice. My father hugged me next.

"We missed you," he whispered in my ear. "**I **missed you." I hugged him a bit tighter.

"I missed you too, Dad," I replied. He pulled away and studied me also.

"We should get you home, you look like you're going to collapse," he said, concerned. I yawned in response.

"Let's go," Susan agreed. I started to walk in one direction, but two hands grabbed both of my hands. I looked down. Matthew was grabbing my left hand and Bobby my right.

"Annabeth, you're going the wrong way," Bobby told me. I sighed.

"Thanks for telling me," I said. The two of them led me the right way to the car.

When we got to the garage, I stumbled into the car. I was sitting in the back with Bobby and Matthew. I yawned and leaned my head on Matthew's shoulder.

"Annabeth, get off," he complained. I ignored him and closed my eyes.

The sound of New York traffic lulled me to sleep.

* * *

I stood in front of Rachel's apartment in the Upper East Side. I knocked on the door and heard a baby cry inside. I flinched.

_Oh crap. I guess I woke Jacob..._

Rachel opened the door, wearing an apron that had paint all over it. Her hair, which was in a loose bun, was sticking up everywhere.

"Annabeth?" she gasped. I opened my arms for a hug. "Annabeth!" She gave me a loose hug, obviously not wanting to get paint all over me.

"Rachel!" I greeted as I pulled away. "Wow, for a mother, you look great!" She laughed.

"I would hope so," she teased. "I mean, I _am _only nineteen." I laughed along with her. She then seemed to realize that it was literally negative ten degrees outside.

"Oh my God, come inside," she ushered me in. I thanked her because I was literally turning into a human popsicle. I shivered as I warmed up.

"Now, have you finally figured out the two people you chose to be Jacob's godparents?" I asked her. Luke and Rachel just couldn't decide on the godparents. So they decided that they were going to wait until winter break to decide the godparents.

"We're actually planning on having a dinner with all of the...'contestants' and announcing the 'winners' then," she told me. Going to her easel in the middle of the living room. I followed her into the living room.

"Hm, what are you painting?" I asked her. There were six people on the painting. They were all together in the middle, three boys and girls.

"Just a painting of you, Percy, Thalia, Nico, Luke, and I," she told me. As I looked at the painting, I could tell who was who. It was Percy and I in the middle, with Luke and Rachel beside me, and Thalia and Nico next to Percy. We were looked so...happy. This would probably be us if all that drama last year didn't happen. But now that I think about it, if all that drama didn't happen Rachel and I wouldn't be friends, much less Thalia and Rachel being friends.

"I like it," I declared. She smiled at me.

"Thanks," she said. Then she sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. With a smile, I sat down next to her.

"So, what's happening with life?" she asked. I thought about all the drama that had happened. I took a deep breath.

"Do you really want to know more about my drama filled life?" I asked. She nodded eagerly.

I took a deep breath and started retelling my story.

"So, after he kissed you, he just ignored you?" she asked. I shrugged and nodded. She rolled eyes.

"Men. Typical," she complained. "Anyways, you should confront him."

"You think I haven't tried?" I sighed, leaning into the couch, running a hand through my hair. Rachel's green eyes studied me sympathetically.

"I need help," I admitted. "Do you think that you and Thalia could help me?" Her eyes grew bright.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "I'm totally in. It'd be great if Thalia could help too. It'd be the Red Games planning crew getting together again!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"I only had two words to tell you. Call. Thalia."

* * *

**A/N**

**Return of the Red Games crew! LOL. Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter. A part of the next chapter will be in Percy's POV, so be tuned! **

**Thanks to: Guest(s), CHM13, luv2write12234,`AllyB3ar, I am Sven Son of Boreas, HungerJackson, ' , Sams101, cheeese, lovinbooks10, TheFong, kinaboolovesanime, asalt, lileverlark, goldenspring, xxPurpleDinosaursxx for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**Review responses for the last last chapter:**

**PurpleQueen981: Oh, that's good. At least he likes you, right? :)**

**MeandMarisa: I don't think I can incorporate that. Mostly because Derek looks like a male version of Lené, so it would be really awkward for Annabeth to date a male version of one of her best friends. Sorruy :( I did try to make Derek and Annabeth get together in the earlier draft of this chapter, but it became really awkward. **

**Twiles: Here's the answer to your questions:**

**1) Um...depends on how busy I am and my mood. Sometimes daily, sometimes every two days. But unless I go on a trip, there would be frequent updates.**

**2) I don't know. I was born this way ;)**

**3) I don't know. I don't really look at the communities.**

**ThatGirlIntheBack: Yeah, I sort of hated everybody hating on Bec, since it's kind of like pointing to a random stranger across the street and calling her a bitch. So I wanted Annabeth to sort of be the "bad guy" in this chapter.**

**Responses to reviews from the last chapter:**

**KabraPotterJackson: Well, yes. But I was going to explain that, but I don't know how to insert that during the story. So, I was going to make them celebrate their birthdays on different days with their friends. One twin would celebrate with their friends a day before their actual birthday, and the other twin would celebrate the day after their actual birthday. Then they would celebrate their actual birthday together with family only.**

**MeandMarisa: Yeah. I am going to. I just need more ideas for Phase 1, that's all.**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1 (which will be updated soon...)**

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would really help me out a lot!**


	11. Planning Time!

**Chapter 10: Planning time!**

A knock on the door and a loud "let me in!" signalled Thalia's arrival. With a sigh, I stood up and opened the door for her. She hadn't changed a bit. Her style was still the same, eyeliner, black hair, black clothes.

I hugged her.

"Annie!" she cried.

"Thals!"

We hugged for some time, savouring the feeling. I pulled away and let her in. Rachel walked towards us.

"Thalia!" she greeted. They hugged also.

"How are you guys?" Thalia asked as we headed towards the living room.

"I'm doing fine," Rachel answered. "Better than Annabeth, at least." I stuck my tongue out at her while she smirked at me.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked, confused. The three of us sat on either the sofa or an armchair.

"I'm having even more drama in my life," I complained. Rachel stifled a giggle, while it looked like Thalia was holding back a smile.

"It's Percy-drama again, isn't it?" she asked. I nodded with a sigh.

"Why does life have to be so complicated?" I asked. Thalia gave me a sympathetic glance. Wow, I have been getting those **a lot**.

"Well, it wouldn't be. If you had just stuck with Percy..." Thalia trailed off, leaving the sentence hang. I groaned and fought the urge to smash my face in the sofa cushions. Thalia had been telling me this way too much.

"I know, I know," I groaned. "Things would be less complicated and I would be extremely happy right now." Thalia leaned from her armchair to pat my head.

"Good girl," she praised. I glared at her.

"I'm not a dog, Thalia," I growled. She shrugged.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. Rachel cleared her throat.

"Anyways, one of the reasons why we called you to come down here was because Annabeth needs our help. Again," Rachel said to Thalia, bringing us back to the topic we were here to discuss.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I need your...advice on what to do with your cousin." She frowned.

"It's nothing dirty, is it?" she asked, disgusted. I was appalled, so I whacked her upside the head.

"EW! NO!" I exclaimed. "Oh my God...how can you even think that?!" Thalia shrugged.

"You've been spending way too much time with Nico," Rachel commented.

"Yeah, because we share an apartment together in London," Thalia said. I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just forget the incredibly rude comment Thalia just made and get to the problem at hand. Please?" I begged. God, I wanted this conversation to disappear and burn in Hell. Thalia shrugged again. I realized that she'd been shrugging for a lot than ever.

"Anyways, back to the subject," she said. "What type of Percy-drama is it this time?"

"Um..." I said. For some strange reason, I didn't want to tell Thalia about my so-called "Percy-drama".

"Percy has a girlfriend," Rachel told her. I shot her a glare and she gave me a shocked and innocent look back. "What?" I rolled my eyes and looked back at Thalia. She seemed a bit shocked.

"I...well...I thought that...Percy...and you..." she said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Percy and I, what?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"You know...we're dating again."

_Oh, boy. I wish._

"No," I said bitterly. "We were thinking about it, but we decided to become friends again and process to the relationship stage slowly...that is if we wanted to be in a relationship. But he met someone else...while the two of us were at the movies." I slumped.

"Who's the chick?" Thalia asked me while Rachel shot me another sympathetic look.

"Her name's Rebecca," I muttered, the name leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Thalia sat up straight for some reason. There was a knowing look on her face.

"What's her last name?" she demanded abruptly. I gave her a shocked look. She sounded so urgent, as if her life depended on this.

"Um...Carter, I think. Why?" I asked her. She fell into her seat.

"No," she whispered.

"Thalia, what is it?" Rachel asked her. Thalia's eyes were wide.

"Does she like being called 'Bec' for short?" Thalia asked me. I nodded. She sighed.

"Why? Thals, what's wrong?" I asked.

"She's my friend."

My eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Your _friend_?" I shrieked. She nodded absently, in her own thoughts. I leaned my head into the sofa. "How?"

"She's Nico's cousin," she whispered. Rachel and I shared a look. Well, neither of us saw _that_ coming.

"She came over to London, to see Nico. Rebecca and I started to get along, since we had a lot in common. She told me she was dating someone named Percy, that was attending university in Southern California. I thought about it being _our _Percy...but then I remembered you, Annabeth. I thought he was never going to date another girl, unless it was you." I sighed heavily and stood up, going to Thalia.

"It's okay," I told her. "I don't blame you for being friends with Rebecca." She looked at me, shocked.

"But...I thought that you would be..." she trailed off.

"Furious?" I asked. "Angry? Seriously, Thals, do you think I'd get pissed at my best friend because of this?" She laughed, instantly feeling better.

"Okay," she said. "Now, let's help you win Percy back." We beamed at each other, all three of us.

"Let's get started," I said.

"'Bec has mentioned that she was going to break it off with Percy," Thalia informed me. I gave her a questioning look.

"Really? Why hasn't she?" I asked, maybe a bit too enthusiastically. Thalia shrugged.

"She said something about wanting to beat Percy's 'crazy ex-girlfriend'."

I frowned deeply, knowing that I was the 'crazy ex-girlfriend' she was referring to. God, I sometimes really hated that girl, I know that I have no reason to, but I do.

"But I have good news," Rachel piped up. Thalia and I looked at her. "Luke was talking to Percy the other day, and Percy told him that he liked Rebecca a lot, but...he just can't get over you, Annabeth." I felt my insides melt at that.

I smiled widely.

"Okay, so here's what I suggest the plan be," Thalia said, with a dramatic flair. Rachel and I payed close attention.

"You go to the dinner that Rachel and Luke are hosting for the potential godparents...and you talk to Percy," she said. I gave her a 'seriously?' look.

"Actually, that doesn't seem too bad," Rachel said, nodding. Thalia gave an appreciative look to Rachel.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at her antics.

"So, what do I talk to him about? My feelings?" I asked, scoffing. Rachel and Thalia nodded slowly in a 'yeah, obviously' kind of way. I laughed out loud.

"You want _me _to talk to _Percy _about sentiment?" I asked. "No thanks."

"Why not?" Rachel asked curiously. I rolled my eyes.

"Are you seriously asking me this? I thought it be obvious," I stalled. I didn't want them to know that I wasn't good with talking about...feelings. I never talked about them with my dad, and the times I talked about them to Percy, well...it was fake. At least, for a while.

"Well, it isn't," Thalia snapped, obviously annoyed at myattitude towards her plan. "Now spill as to why you don't want to talk to Percy." I sighed. I guess I have no choice.

"I...I want to...but..." I started saying, but I was at a loss for word. Huh, first time that's ever happened to me. "I...I'm not good at talking about that sort of stuff. You know, sentiment. My family never talk about it and I guess...that I just don't know how to...engage in that sort of conversation." Rachel stood up and gave me a comforting pat on the back, and Thalia sent me a sympathetic look. Wow, I've been getting those _way _too much lately. I felt totally embarrassed. I literally just myself sound like an emotionless robot, or a sociopath.

"Just...try, Annabeth," Thalia suggested. "Percy does actually know how to talk about that stuff. Just tell him that you want to talk to him and approach the subject of Rebecca." I nodded and Rachel squeezed my shoulders.

"I guess I will."

Thalia beamed. "Now...how have you been?" she asked me. I smiled.

This was the good old days.

And I was looking forward to the dinner already.

* * *

**A/N**

**HELLO! I AM ACTUALLY NOT DEAD! Shocking right? Sorry that this took so long to update, something always managed to get in the way to updating this. :(**

**Also, I decided to do this thingy where you can ask me whatever you want (as long as it is not inappropriate or too personal) and I'll answer them in either PM or in the review response section of this chapter. :)**

**Thanks to: whackadoodle100, Guest(s), OrcaLover, authourofmanythings, LeoHazelForever, wassuprandompeople, X, foreverfanfiction, Thalico and Percabeth FTW, WiseGirl210, westforkhannah, arielchai, pottergirl77, yourderpyhuman, samantha2829, Field of Lies, ArtemisHunter245, PJOOF16, megameghamango, Rose Daughter of Euterpe, MESamPepJZ, PPP4eva, blueskiesandgreengrass13, SilverLiningsGirl, Athena's gray owl, thegreyeyedgirl, greendaylover306, AshelyDaugherofApollo, Messiml, NotsoSugarQueen, MusicIsMyLife14, August1999, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, emblah01, kgirlma, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, Jo Keeler, Irfhanaz, kinaboolovesanime, Pliantly Virtuous for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

*** REVIEWS WILL BE ANSWERED NEXT CHAPTER ***

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1**

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would really help me out a lot!**

**ALSO DON'T FORGET TO WRITE IN YOUR QUESTIONS AND SEND THEM EITHER IN PM OR IN YOUR REVIEW! NO INAPPROPRIATE QUESTIONS OR TOO PERSONAL ONES!**


	12. Let's have a little chat, Percy

**WARNING: OOC-ness! It had to be done...sorry**

**Chapter 11: Let's have a little chat, Percy...**

The day had finally arrived. The day of the dinner of the godparents choosing, or more importantly, the day I actually talked to Percy about feelings. Some feelings were still rather strange to me, such as...love, but some feelings, like friendship, were ones that I was pretty comfortable with. My dad had practically abandoned me when my mom died, then he started dating Susan and that drove us even more far apart. My father and I never really had a nice father-daughter talk. Most daughters would try to spend time with their dads, (and I do, don't get me wrong) but because of all the stuff that happened in the past, my dad and I still haven't really mended our relationship. We are trying though.

So the prospect of talking to Perseus Jackson of all people about **love. **Well...that was something I never thought I had to do.

"Annabeth!" Susan called from downstairs. "Thalia's here!" I scrambled from my bed, where I was lying down, and straightened the dress I was wearing. It was the same one I wore to the Winter Formal. I still loved it, even though it had a lot of unhappy memories. I ran down the stairs in my silver flats and met Thalia at the door. She was wearing a black skirt with the same colour leggings underneath and a white shirt covered by a leather jacket.

"Hey," she greeted. "You look all dolled up." I smiled.

"Well, it is a special occasion after all," I shrugged. "Besides, I want to look good when I am chosen as the godmother." I shot her a dazzling smile. She just scowled at my teasing.

"Yeah, whatever," she just snorted. "You just want to look good for Percy." I stuck my tongue out at her as I shrugged on a parka. God, New York in the winter? Awful.

"Let's go," I said. I turned to my parents. "Bye!" I left the house, following Thalia, who was already nearing the car. The two of us climbed in.

"Hey Nico," I said to the black haired man in the driver seat. He looked in the rear-view mirror at me and gave me a smile.

"Hey Annabeth," he greeted. I smiled back at him.

"How's it going?" I asked as he drove out of my driveway and onto the street. He shrugged.

"Not bad, I suppose."

Thalia glared at him. "What do you mean 'not bad'?" she nearly shrieked. Nico rolled his eyes.

"Chill, Thals," he told her and turned on the radio, blasting out some heavy metal band. I rolled my eyes also. They really were the perfect couple weren't they?

* * *

After a long half-hour drive to the restaurant, I found myself having a blistering headache, all thanks to the heavy metal that Nico turned up to the max volume. He and Thalia were basically rocking out, while I, on the other hand, was too busy clamping my hands over my ears to block some of the sound out. I know that it technically doesn't work that well, but it was worth a shot.

As I walked into the restaurant, rubbing my head, I was attacked with a hug.

"Annabeth!" Luke said, squeezing the life out of my. I tentatively patted him on the back.

"Hey," I said, gasping for air. Boy, Luke got _strong._ "Um...choking, not breathing." He let go of me with a quick "sorry". I gasped for air like a fish out of water.

"Woah," I gasped. "You grew some muscles." Luke laughed and flexed them jokingly.

"I know right? Took a while, but totally worth it." The two of us laughed.

"Luke, are you showing off your muscles again?" Rachel asked, approaching us. "I told you to stop it. It's weird." Luke chuckled and wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders. Now that I saw the two of them together, as a couple, they looked perfect together. I fought off the urge to coo over the two of them.

"So, when do you officially announce that I'm the godmother?" I joked. I saw some other women shoot me dirty looks and I glowered back. Rachel gave me a mock-scolding look.

"Behave, Annabeth," she said. I smiled. I spotted Percy, sitting at a table, staring into space while sipping some water.

"Excuse me," I said, and made my way over to him. I stood in front of him and yet he still didn't notice me, lost in thought. That was something dangerous.

"Hey, can I sit here?" I asked. He started, breaking out of his thoughts. I giggled at his startled face. What the heck was this? Annabeth Chase does _not _giggle! I cleared my throat and raised an eyebrow, as he still stared at me, confused, probably as to why I was speaking to him.

"So, can I?" I asked. He nodded absently, still staring at me. I gave him a small smile and sat in the chair next to him.

The two of us just sat there, a bit awkwardly. I was basically looking everywhere except at Percy. In fact, I had found a rather questionable stain on the ground... It didn't help that Percy's eyes were boring into my head. I looked up and his green eyes, filled with some kind of emotion, bore into my grey. I found myself inching closer and closer. My eyes shut close and I know that his eyes shut too. Only an inch more...

_CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

Percy and I jerked apart and I looked around the room for the culprit.

Luke was standing in front of all the table he and Rachel reserved, holding a glass of water and banging it with a spoon. I wondered how the glass didn't break...

"Okay, everyone. Rachel and I decided at the last minute that we are going to announce the godparents NOW. So, um...drumroll please..." he said, trailing off at the end. There was a bit of a silence after his last statement, but then Percy started to hit his hands against the table and started to "drum roll". Nico followed him and so did Thalia. Percy shot me a look. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and started doing it as well. I saw the other diner-goers staring at us like we're super weird...which I guess we are.

Luke shot us a grateful look. "Thank you," he said graciously. We stopped. "Now...the godparents are..." **(A/N was going to end that here, but decided against it)**

"Percy and Annabeth!" Rachel cut in. Silence, and Percy and I shared a look. We are the godparents? We were paired together to be godparents? I could tell that Percy didn't know this either. Suddenly, someone, I think Nico, started to clap for us. Soon enough, other people started clapping for us too. Percy shrugged and gave me a smile. I smiled back.

"Okay, so...now we get to eat!" Luke announced. Some people (almost all of the males) started cheering. I rolled my eyes. Men, they are all bottomless pits...

I looked over to Percy, who was looking at the menu.

"Hey, can...can we talk?" I asked. He spared me a glance and shrugged.

"Sure," he replied. And with amazing timing, a waiter came up to us.

"Can I get you guys anything?" he asked politely. It took everything I had not to jump up and strangle him.

"I'll just have a salad," I told him, fighting back a glare. Percy shot me a curious look. He knew that I ate a lot more than just a mere salad.

"Alright," the waiter said, writing it down. "And you, sir?"

"Um..." Percy said, eyes going back to the menu. "I'll have...a hamburger with yam fries and a coke, please." The waiter nodded.

"I'll be right back with your orders," he said and left. I turned back to Percy and he stared at me also, setting the menu down.

"So...um, I need to tell you something, Percy," I told him. He nodded curiously. This was it. I was finally telling Percy that I loved him. That was _in love _with him.

_You can do this, Annabeth Chase. Come on...one, two, three..._

"Percy," I said. "I'm in l-" A phone started vibrating. Percy's phone. He gave me a sad glance and looked at the screen.

"Oh, I should take this," he apologized. I caught a glimpse of the screen. _Bec_

My jealously flared and before Percy could press 'answer', I grabbed him by his shirt and kissed him. My eyes were closed and I marvelled in the feeling. It had been a long time since I've don him, and I felt somehow...happy. In a weird, maybe even twisted way. I pulled away, opening my eyes, and he was staring at me shock and an emotion I couldn't place in his eyes.

"I love you," I whispered. No response. He just kept staring at me. I felt tears well up in my eyes, and I furiously fought against them.

_Don't cry. You are Annabeth Chase, you don't cry. _

I turned around, hiding my face from him, and I stood up. I started sprinting towards the door. I bumped into the waiter along the way and he recognized me immediately.

"Ma'am, where are you going?" he asked. I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Um...you can cancel my order," I told him and I sped out the door, tears spilling down my cheeks.

* * *

**A/N**

**Here you go! And I'm still doing that Q&A thingy, so keep those questions rolling in!**

**Thanks to: thegreyeyedgirl, niccaldwell12, greendaylover306, KeepCalmandSprint13, isha1802, Ginevra Annabeth Herondale, AnnabethPercy forever, Corky04, quinnybomb, pupdog2000, CRAZYYNESS, STYLEASIAN, Demigod-Madrigal-Slytherin, DaFanFicCritic, alyaJackson, X, Guest(s), foreverfanfiction, MeandMarisa, fi13ns, KayCee, authourofmanythings, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, Messiml, PurpleQueen981, ThatGirlinTheBack, August1999, annabethlexi12, whackadoodle100, MusicIsMyLife14, kinaboolovesanime, NotsoSugarQueen, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, PPP4eva, Marichinocherry OtakusRule, KabraPotterJackson, Athena's gray owl, bookworm2609 for reviewing/following/favouriting!**

**RESPONSES TO REVIEWS FROM LAST LAST CHAPTER:**

**Pliantly Virtuous: To be perfectly honest, I totally forgot about doing Percy's POV (I've been too lazy too also :/ ) I probably might do some of the next chapter in Percy's POV**

**kinaboolovesanime: hahahaha! So true!**

**Irfhanaz: Hope this helps your Percabeth withdrawal!**

**Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades: It's not just women either! My dad is 39, but people think that he's my brother or something :/**

**AshleyDaughterofApollo: Sorry, no I haven't. But my mom (she's a florist) made flowers for Alicia Keys once :)**

**foreverfanfiction: OMG, you have no idea how much that made my day! Thanks! :))) I'm smiling really widely right now!**

**THE REVIEWS FROM LAST CHAPTER:**

**thegreyeyedgirl: Um...longest word...supercalifragilisticexpialid ocious. I know, super unoriginal, but oh well. **

**authourofmanythings: Um...well...I'm gonna add Leo in later (but the reason is a secret ;) ) I guess that I update about ever 2-5 days, depends on life. Um...I only have two fav Percy Jackson pairings: Percabeth and Pipson. **

**Guest: Pie on Saturday? I actually never have pie, much less on a Saturday :(**

**PPP4eva: Holy crap...favourite movie and character? Wow...um...I'm gonna have to say 'Avengers' but my favourite character has to be a tie between Iron Man and Captain America. Iron Man because well...he cracks me up whenever he opens his mouth and...HELLO? ROBERT DOWNEY JR? And Captain America because well...he's hot, what more is there to say ;) Use to have a MAJOR crush on him, but I've moved on...LOL**

**Marichinocherry OtalusRule: Um...Idk...um find a good plot and basically write them like continuous one shots. I don't know, hope that helped? Don't worry, I know that was horrible advice :/**

**KabraPotterJackson: The funny thing is, when I first started 'The Red Games', it was for my cousin, who used to hate Percabeth and now she LOVES them, anyways, she asked me to write a fanfic for her, so I did. But I hadn't finished it yet, so I posted it on fanfiction to make it easier for her to read the story, since she lives a sort of long way away (a completely different part of the city :O) so I posted it on fanfic and it got sort of "popular" I guess. The End.**

**Please read the companion fic: Phase 1 (it got updated!)**

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would help me out a lot!**


	13. Relationship advice from Thalia?

**Short A/N: Yeah, I know that some of you guys were upset at the OOC-ness of the last chapter, but oh well. I tried to make it less OOC in this chapter. Sorry if there is some.**

**Chapter 12: Relationship advice from Thalia?**

**Percy's POV**

As Annabeth left the restaurant, I was frozen. My phone kept ringing, but I ignored it. She kissed me. Annabeth Chase, the girl I was in love with, had just kissed me. My brain almost melted into puddle. If I had told Annabeth that, she would've said that there would be nothing left to melt. Annabeth...

Thalia stormed up to me.

"Where is Annabeth going?" she asked me. I stayed frozen. "Percy?" I still didn't give a response, replaying the kiss over and over in my head. I heard Thalia give a sigh and then she raised her hand and...

_SMACK!_

My body began functioning properly again, and I glared up at her. She had just slapped me. Very hard.

"What the hell was that for?" I demanded. She just rolled her eyes at me.

"Nice to know your tongue works," she said sarcastically. "Now, tell me, where is Annabeth?" I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. She gave me a suspicious look.

"Well, she was running out in tears, so _something _must have happened," she pressed on. I looked down. Thalia gave another sigh.

"What happened?" she demanded. "Tell me, Percy, or I'll swear you'll never be able to have children." I gulped.

"She...Annabeth kissed me," I stammered out. Thalia frowned.

"Are you sure? I mean, that isn't very Annabeth like. To just randomly kiss you and run off crying," she said, more to herself than to me. I shrugged.

"Maybe it was just her time of the-" I started to say, but Thalia's glare stopped the rest of the words from coming out. "Never mind." She sighed.

"I'm going to find Annabeth, tell that to Rachel will you?" she asked and left the restaurant. Rachel then came up to me.

"Where's Annabeth? And Thalia?" she asked me.

"Thalia left to find Annabeth," I told her. She nodded.

"Then where's Annabeth?" she asked. I shrugged.

"She just left abruptly," I lied. I didn't really want to retell everything. She stared at me suspiciously, just like Thalia had.

"She was crying. Tell me the truth," she demanded. I sighed and began to retell everything.

_I wonder where Annabeth is..._

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

I collapsed on my bed as soon as I got home. Why am I so stupid? Why am I acting like those stupid jealous ex-girlfriends in movies and TV shows? I felt so awkward. I didn't like feeling this way. Weak. Sensitive. Exposed.

And this was all Percy Jackson's fault.

I felt a surge of hate towards Percy for a moment, but it disappeared as fast as it came. I leaned my head against the headboard and sighed. Percy and I had decided to just be friends, right? I was perfectly fine with that. I could learn to like Percy only as a friend right? The doorbell rang from downstairs. I heard the opening of a door.

"Annabeth, Thalia's here!" Susan called from downstairs.

"Send her down!" I called down. I heard Thalia's footsteps climb up the flight of stairs and she opened the door to my bedroom.

"Hey Annie," she said, walking in carefully. I didn't even bother to tell her to stop calling me 'Annie'. I waved to her and she sat on the end on my bed.

"I heard what happened," she said, approaching the subject carefully. I gave her a wary look.

"It was a stupid thing for me to do, right?" I asked her, chuckling slightly to myself. Laughing. Laughing was good. She shrugged.

"Um...I guess," she said uncertainly.

"I mean, he doesn't feel the same way, obviously," I kept on rambling. She shrugged again. Great pep talk, Thals.

"Maybe, maybe not," she said enigmatically. I shot her a confused look.

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded.

"Well, I believe that Percy does like you. Love you, in fact," she told me. "But...he's just afraid, Annabeth." Why would Percy be afraid?

"Afraid of what?" I asked. She smiled sadly at me.

"Of getting his heartbroken again, Annabeth."

I froze.

"He was really hurt about what happened, Annabeth," she informed me. "He didn't take his relationship with Krisha as seriously as he did with you. I instantly regretted being in a part of your plan as soon as I saw the aftermath of it, and...I know that you did too. And you still do." I looked down, feeling guilty. Thalia was right. I did regret what I did to Percy.

"So...what do I do?" I whispered, asking Thalia.

"Well...do you love him?" she asked me. I looked up with her with an 'are-you-seriously-asking-me-this?' look. She just fixed me with an absolutely serious look. This was weird, seeing Thalia this serious. I bit back the sarcastic remark I was about to make and nodded.

"Really?" she asked, pushing me. "Truly?" I nodded. She smiled widely at me.

"Then you need to tell him."

I sighed.

"It's not that easy Thalia, I did in the restaurant and he didn't reply to me," I told her. "I'll just embarrass myself if I declare my love for him and he doesn't love me back." She gave me a confused look.

"You told him that you loved him?" she asked. Her mouth rounded into an 'o' shape.

"He didn't hear you," she told me. I was shocked. I stared at her, eyes wide.

"I talked to Percy, back in the restaurant. He told me that you kissed him, but that was it!" she continued, joy filling into her voice. "If he had heard you, he would've stopped you and told you that he loved you too! Annabeth, you idiot! Why didn't you say it louder?" Okay, Thalia was turning into Rachel and it was seriously scaring me.

"Thalia, stop!" I said. She just laughed.

"I'm sorry Annie, it's just that...when you talk to Percy again, all this tension will be gone and everything will go back to normal!" I rolled my eyes. Thalia checked the time.

"I have to get back to the restaurant, I took Nico's car," she told me. We both stood up and walked down the stairs. I noticed that Susan and the entire family were gone. I remembered that they said something about going to see a movie or something.

"Okay, bye, Thals," I said, opening the door for her while she got her coat on.

"Bye Annie," she replied, giving me a quick hug. "See you soon. Hopefully you will be Percy's girlfriend the next time we talk." I rolled my eyes and gave a light chuckle and she walked out the door. She was about half way to her car when I called out to her.

"Thals?"

She turned around.

"Thanks!" I smiled at her.

She gave me a smile also and a wave, then she climbed into her car and drove off. I closed the door and spotted something on the kitchen table. Thalia had worn a scarf when she had came over and had left it here. I contemplated calling her, but then decided against it. I would probably see her tomorrow anyways.

My stomach rumbled and I remembered that I didn't have dinner. I quickly searched the kitchen for some food and found some leftover lasagna in the fridge. I pulled it out, cut myself a piece, and microwaved it. I also poured myself a glass of milk.

With my dinner in each hand, I walked in the living room and sat down on my couch. I turned on the TV and started watching 'The Big Bang Theory', which was one of the shows that I actually enjoyed watching.

I had been watching for about an hour when a knock came from the door. I knew that it was Thalia, coming to look for her scarf. I knew that she would come as soon as she realized that it was gone since it was basically her favourite scarf. I stood up and headed over to the door.

"I knew that you'd come back looking for your scar-"

I stopped my sentence as soon as I saw who at the door.

Perseus Jackson stood there with an urgent look on his face.

* * *

**A/N**

**So...there will be another chapter or two left and then that will be the end. I will not do a sequel, but if you want, I'll do an oneshot series about what happens after the end of this story:)**

**I know this chapter sucks, but I'm sort of rushing right now :/**

**Thanks to: IcyRose66, Artistpeace, Guest(s), Agent-Infinity-11, ChildOfSea, Johnwisne, Sarah, authourofmanythings, Animallover1313, ShadowRider9, cammy2012, thegreyeyedgirl, KayCee, Ginevra Annabeth Herondale, Cinderella7049, AshleyDaughterofApollo, Angelwings178, Muffin Russell, smegol26, PPP4eva, fantasy girl loves fantasy, Athena's grey owl, PurpleQueen981, blueskiesandgreengrass, greendaylover306, MeandMarisa, Messiml, MESamPepJZ, lovinbooks10, Mountain of Sorrow, MusicIsMyLife14, jlfrancis24, ThatGirlIntheBack, Irfhanaz, Artemis-gurl, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, XxbethamphetaminexX, la bella nunez, whackadoodle100, My-Username-Sucks14, alyaJackson, MegJackson, Isha, Annalise miller, emily68, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, LibertyOrD3 th, PJOOF16, August1999, Amity1999 for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**August1999: Okay, call me crazy, but I actually don't watch TV a lot anymore. Mostly because we have the basic cable thing where all you get is the news and daytime talk shows (I only watch Ellen).**

**Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades: Um...my love life? Well...I don't really have one :( **

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would really help me out a lot!**

**Please read the companion fic to the prequel of this fic: Phase 1 (one more chapter and then it's finished)**


	14. Confessions

**WARNING: Might be a little (or a lot) OOC, guys. Sorry. Super tired... :( Also, another warning: FLUFF (well, it's fluff to me...if it isn't for you, well...)**

**Chapter 14: Confessions**

I stood there, frozen, while Percy stood awkwardly outside my door. I knew that he was getting cold outside and was feeling a bit uncomfortable. When, he stuck his head through the door I finally came to my senses and let him in.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded as soon as I closed the door behind him. I meant for it to sound questioning, but it came out harsh. Oops. He shifted a little as he stood there uncomfortably in the middle of the room.

"Annabeth...I need to tell you something," he stated nervously. _Well obviously, Seaweed Brain, what other reason would there be for you to come see me?_

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" I asked sarcastically. He nodded. I sighed and slouched a little. I walked over to my couch and sat down.

"What do you want to tell me?" I asked. He bit his lip and shuffled his feet on the carpet. _Oh man, Susan's going to get mad once she comes home...she was such a clean freak..._ I made a mental note to wipe the dirt smudges out of the carpet later and focused on what Percy was about to say.

"Um...so...Bec called," he started lamely. I rolled my eyes. Of course, he came here to talk about Bec. Wonderful.

"And...I talked to her," he continued. _No, Seaweed Brain, really? _"And we decided that we, Bec and I that is, needed to...see other people." I perked up at the last sentence, sitting up straighter.

"W-what?" I stammered, hoping that I didn't hear him wrong. He swallowed and repeated himself. I felt like I needed to jump up and do a little happy dance.

"So...where does that leave us?" I asked him. I hoped that my little stupid stunt at the restaurant actually payed off a little. He shrugged.

"Well that...all depends on you, really," he told me. I patted the seat next to me, and he sat down.

"What do you want to happen between us?" I asked him. He sighed.

"Annabeth, I have to admit this. When I first met you, you were like...a flame, and I was a moth. So basically, I was a moth drawn to a flame," he confessed. Once, he said the 'moth-drawn-to-a-flame' thing, his chest puffed out a bit, like he was proud of himself for knowing that.

"I always admired you. You were just everything a guy could want. Smart, beautiful...even if you were a bit cold at times... Last year, when you were chosen...I tried everything to change Luke's mind, but I couldn't, so I had to go with the flow. But as we grew closer in that one or two months, as friends, I realized that the admiration I had for you was love.

"I didn't want to believe it, but it was true so I had to accept that. So I kept it hidden from you, for the sake of our friendship, but it became harder and harder each day... And then, the day came when you kissed me. I was happy, Annabeth. Happy that you, this woman I didn't deserve, could actually love me back. It was like I was floating on Cloud Nine.

"Then, the dreaded dance. When you told me the truth, Annabeth, I almost broke apart. My heart was shattered. It took me months to get back up, and Krisha was there to help. I was actually getting over you and I was calmed by that. But then I met you again in California, and the memories (and my feelings for you) came back. When I started dating Bec, I was hoping that I could forget you, but I found that I just...can't.

"I tried to fight my feelings again, but I lost again. I fell more in love with you, even though we were both ignoring each other. I didn't know if you had feelings for me too, but then today...at the restaurant. I guess I know now," he concluded. My eyes were filled with tears from his lovely speech. I didn't try to fight them because they were happy tears. He was in love with me and I was in love with him. Maybe...we could actually have a nice ending to all this drama for once.

"Percy," I started saying. I felt that I should tell him everything too, since he had done the same. "I...I love you. And at first, I didn't want to believe it. I was just so...oblivious, and that's actually a bit of an understatement. Last year, I did what I did to get revenge on you on behalf of those girls that you and Luke treated like garbage. At first I was going to attack both of you, but I found that maybe you were going to be more easier to...manipulate, so I chose you instead.

"I think that during those moments, during our dates and what-not, I was falling in love with you, but I (for once) was too stupid to realize it. When the day of the dance came, instead of being all pumped because all of those months of trying, and succeeding, in making you fall in love with me were finally paying off, I felt uncertain. Should I, or should I not?

"I went through with the plan anyways, my head winning against my heart. When I did though, I felt empty...all those days after. I then realized that I fell in love with you. Awful timing, wasn't it? And then I saw you again in California, and I wanted to tell you. I wanted to apologize for all the things that I had done.

"But then, you started dating other girls, and I grew fearful, I guess. My head kept telling me that you didn't really love me and that I should just forget you. But my heart rebelled. When you started dating Bec, I started believing my heart, and I ignored you. And then today, at the restaurant, when I was going to tell you how I felt, your phone rang, and I saw it was Bec calling.

"I grew jealous and...over protective...so I kissed you. My heart took over, I guess. When you didn't respond back, after I had whispered my feelings, I felt upset. My heart had broken all over again and I rushed out. I regretted my actions immediately. And then Thalia came over, and believe it or not, she gave me relationship advice. And...I'm taking it right now," I ended, a bit lamely, staring into his sea green eyes.

A few tears escaped my eyes, and he brushed it away. I sighed as I leaned into his palm. I felt lighter now, since I got all that stuff off of my chest.

"So, where does that leave us now?" he asked.

I smiled at him and pulled him in for a kiss.

* * *

**A/N**

**Sorry for not uploading in a while (and the shortness of this chapter). Life, you know? You try to do something and it won't let you XP **

**And I'm sorry if this chapter was WAY too romantic, I'm in a fluffy mood. I've been watching WAY too many chick-flicks today it's not even funny.**

**Anyways, there is the epilogue left and I want to ask you guys a question. Do you want a one-shot series to this one? And it won't just be about the events after this fic, but it will have all the Percabeth moments I decided not to put in 'The Red Games'. So tell me in your review or PM me if you want one!**

**And I won't be updating until about Friday, since I'm going away with my school on a band trip! **

**See you guys on Friday!**

**Thanks to: Guest(s), ElmoDaHorse, XxChasingMoonlightxX, Wings101, cookielover8201, Ka-tay's mind, authourofmanythings, ShadyfictionFTW, WisdomGoddessAthenae, Nerdy Athletic, orosius, Princess Annabeth Weasley Fowl, midnight luna18, Lover of this fanfic, Animallover1313, AnnaTonitini, maddie4836, i. , WElaine21, aquilonius424, skprettygirl, foreverfanfiction, Mrs. Horan-McDonough, NeonHedgehog, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, Meghan Thalia Jackson, MeandMarisa, PJOOF16, percabethluver77, MESamPepJZ, AtlantaJackson95, WiseGirl210, kinaboolovesanime, greendaylover306, August1999, Guest R, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, The Cookie Monsta, Johnwisne, blueskiesandgreengrass13, megameghamango, ThatGirlIntheBack, Sarah, Athena's gray owl, AshleyDaughterofApollo, I am Alice Cullen, AnnabethsDagger, KabraPotterJackson, PPP4eva, isha1802, Rose-loves-Dimitri, thegreyeyedgirl, whackadoodle100, X, honeymello, Agent-Infinity-11 for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**Please read: Phase 1 (which will be over soon D:)**

**Please review/follow/favourite! It would really help me out a lot!**


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Percy and I were back together at that moment. It was a nice little moment, knowing that things between us were good again. We had told our parents, Rachel and Luke, and Thalia and Nico that we were back together. Needless to say, they were pretty happy.

A few days later, Percy and I headed back to California, to continue with our studies. He met up with Bec one more time, and they talked about their now non-existent relationship. Bec was fine with the break-up, in fact, she and Percy were friends. I had actually talked to her a few times, hung out with her, she wasn't that bad. Probably because we weren't fighting silently over Percy.

Otherwise, things were great. Everything was back to where it should be, and I couldn't be happier.

I was actually preparing to graduate and head back to New York and study there instead. I knew that Percy was going to do that also, since he was planning the same thing before.

We were going to attend the University of New York, and we were going to share an apartment together. Things were looking great for us, and I couldn't wait until for the future.

My life had become a cheesy soap opera since the day I found that piece of red paper in my locker. It was funny how a tiny slip of red paper could change so many lives. If that paper wasn't in my locker, Thalia never would've met Nico, Rachel probably would've gotten an abortion and never got together with Luke, and _I _never would've gotten with Percy.

I remembered watching a soap opera one day when I was sick, and I saw the episode and it was titled 'Second Chances Do Make A Difference'. I had scoffed, but now that I think back, I realize that it was true.

As cheesy as it sounds, second chances do make a difference.

_**Fin**_

* * *

**A/N**

**CHEESY, WAY OVERDUE, ENDING! Life sucks you know? I try to update and yet I have to either get sick or injured or have too much homework... Sigh. Anyways, hope you liked the ending. I know it was cheesy, but I wanted it to be different than the ending of The Red Games. Um...Phase 1 will be updated only one more time then it's finished. And um...look out for the oneshot series spinoff thingy of this fic and its prequel. I'll post the title in the Thank You chapter I'm going to type. It will probably be published either later today or tomorrow or early the day after tomorrow. See you then!**

**Thanks to: wise-waters, Guest(s), franz955, mgma2000, SingingFroggy, My-Username-Sucks14, goddess-of-friendship, I am Elle Daughter of Athena, Damianluvr, DaughterofAthena15, Blacklist1000, invisibleyankeehat, PJOOF16, August1999, ElmoDaHorse, ThatGirlIntheBack, XxbethamphetaminexX, foreverfanficiton, emblah01, WiseGirl210, blackjack1709, WisdomGoddessAthenae, blueskiesandgreengrass13, Ka-tay's mind, cookielover8201, alyaJackson, PPP4eva, Mrs. Horan-McDonough, kim3375, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, Rose-loves-Dimitri, whackadoodle100, percabethluver77, Athena's gray owl, hsw99, ImmaNerd98, Thiswasmade4me, Angelwings178, Guest R, greendaylover306, argh101, santahohoho, QuirkyDiva1, Hotness-and-music, jArCaLvin0o9, Random Reader 14 for reviewing/favouriting/following!**

**Please read Phase 1 (it's almost complete)**

**Please review/favourite/follow! It would really help me out a lot!**


	16. Sequel news

**So, I would like to thank everyone (I will write all of you guys out someday) and here's the news about the sequel/one-shot spin off series thing. **

**It will be called: The Past, Present, and Future. It will include some of the deleted date scenes from Red Games (which were deleted to make the story move faster), some things that happened during Second Chances that didn't make it, and things that happen after. So, here's another contest. You guys can give me prompts for the first chapter, and I will choose the one that I will use. Please include where the one shot would take place (during Red Games, during Second Chances, or after Second Chances) and your prompt, maybe even specify what you want. I will write a thank you chapter when I have the time, and sorry for not updating. Life has been a real pain in the ass **

**Thanks!**

**Hatersgonnahate104**


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